The Rose of the Night
by Xethear
Summary: Noctis and his friends move from their town as transfers to Bodhum's Guardian Corp Academy. There they meet the star cadet Lightning and her friends. How will the proud prince's ideals clash with the powerful princess's? Lightning/Noctis - Lightis
1. Blinded by Light

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy, but I am blessed to have played and gotten to know the characters and story of some of them!

Hello everyone! This is my first fanfic and decided to go with one of those pairings that some people can't really visualize Lightning and Noctis. I decided to go with this pairing on precisely that thought in mind before I start on more well-known pairings such as Cloud and Tifa and so on. Maybe there will be more people who enjoy Lightning and Noctis if this story does well, so without further ado, here is "The Rose of the Night."

**Chapter 1: Blinded by Light**

*Tick tock, tick tock…WARK! WARK! WARK!*

The sound of a chocobo's cry filled the dimly lit bedroom as the gold feathers representing the hands on the alarm clock struck 6:30 a.m. *WARK WARK WARK!* The cries of the chocobo increased in volume as seconds passed, then minutes; Noctis rose up slowly from his bed sitting in an upright position, kicked off his blanket and slowly turned his head towards the alarm clock and stared at it in disgust before getting up and pressing the snooze button, silencing the clock and restoring the quiet peace in the room. Noctis sighed in relief as he slowly fell back plopping his head on his pillow closing his eyes once more seeking a few more minutes of sleep; it didn't last long. In a mere instant a flood of light filled the room as a familiar voice spoke out to him.

"Time to wake up Noct! If you don't hurry I'm going to eat your breakfast! You don't want to go around with an empty stomach on the first day right?" Noctis tossed and turned on his bed before rising up once again, he rubbed his eyes and groaned before staring at the blurry sight of a man with blonde hair, his upbeat friend Prompto. As his eyes began adjusting to the light Noctis saw that Prompto was standing by the window brushing his teeth, he had spread the curtains wide open explaining the flood of sudden light now enveloping the room. The blonde wore a white tank top black pants and black boots, half of the assigned uniform for Bodhum Guardian Corp Academy. The only missing articles of clothing were the brown collarless shirt, light brown tunic adorned with blue pauldrons, brown gloves and black cap.

Noctis yawned once more, clenched his fists and stretched his arms. He turned towards Prompto and saw him grinning ear to ear; the corners of his mouth were covered with toothpaste. "You look like a mess Noct!" The blonde said cheerfully.

The young man scratched the back of his head and yawned before retorting, "I could say the same about you."

Prompto laughed, "Heheh, can't argue with you there. Well it doesn't matter because…" he pointed his finger at Noctis "…I'm almost ready so your breakfast belongs to me!" And with that the energetic blonde dashed out of the room laughing cheerfully chanting "A second helping of food for Prompto!"

Noctis chuckled and slowly walked towards the bathroom dragging his feet on the carpet floor. By the time he reached the door Prompto had already finished brushing his teeth and was on his way downstairs. Noctis placed his hands on the bathroom sink and looked up at the mirror groggily before jumping back in surprise, "W-Whoa, I really do look like a mess!" He said as he tried smoothing out the wild strands of dark blue hairs on his head only to have them stick back out. He sighed and opened the medicine cabinet taking a fresh new tube of Shiva Toothpaste out from its box squeezing just enough on the bristles of his toothpaste. The dark haired man began brushing his teeth and yawned once more as he made sure he brushed all of his teeth; he stared at the box of the toothpaste and laughed at the slogan "It will make your teeth shine like diamond dust" he said out loud before discarding the box in the trash bin; "How original." He said as he rinsed his mouth out with water.

After a quick shower Noctis returned to his room, shut the door and stared at his brand new uniform hanging in his closet as he dried his hair with a towel. After several minutes of drying Noctis removed the towel and carelessly tossed the damp cloth on his bed before dressing into his uniform. He scanned himself with the bedroom mirror several times fixing his hair, adjusting his cap and making sure he looked presentable. "I have to make a good first impression" he told himself as he nodded at his reflection finally satisfied with his appearance. The man took one final glance at the mirror before grabbing his bag and stepped outside his room. He closed the door and inserted the bedroom key in the lock turning it clockwise until he heard a click signifying that the door was secure. Noctis slipped the key in his bag and made his way downstairs.

The smell of striped apple pancakes grew predominately with each step Noctis took as he descended the staircase; the mere thought of the sweet, golden brown, flat cake made Noctis's stomach grumble in anticipation. 'If Prompto really did eat my breakfast he's going to start the first day off with a few bruises' Noctis said in his head as he reached the bottom of the staircase. He could see Prompto sitting down at the dining table stuffing his mouth with large amounts of pancakes only taking a few seconds to drink some milk.

"Hey! Look who deshided to join ush!" the blonde managed to say with a mouthful of pancake. "Mishter The Prince himshelf!"

Noctis scoffed as he pulled a chair for himself and sat down across from Prompto, "It takes time to look presentable you know." Noctis scanned Prompto's messy appearance; he had on the missing half of his uniform from earlier but the belts of his tunic were undone and there were syrup stains on his shirt. "Don't tell me that's how you're going in on the first day."

Prompto swallowed a mouthful of pancakes and blinked several times before looking down at his uniform. He looked up at Noctis and grinned, "It shows character right?"

Noctis shook his head and opened his mouth to protest but another interjected. "Just leave him be Noct it's the first day, maybe the Guardian Corp instructors will go easy on him."

Noctis chuckled "You really think so Ignis?" He asked sarcastically turning his head towards his other friend who was cooking the pancakes fully dressed in his uniform same as himself. "It's our first day, we're transfer students."

The brown haired man turned to face Noctis after pouring some fresh pancake batter in the pan and adjusted his glasses, "No, but at least this way he might finally learn his lesson and dress more appropriately in the future."

"Yeah! And if the instructors scold him we'll have a good laugh on the first day!" Noctis smiled and turned towards the man who made the clever remark.

"Your right Gladiolus." The tall, built man Noctis had just addressed let out a hearty laugh and threw one arm around Prompto quickly pulling him into a choke hold and ruffling his messy blonde hair.

"Gah! I give! I give!" Prompto yelled as he tugged on Gladiolus's arm feeling the hold drain him of energy. Gladiolus chuckled and reluctantly released Prompto from the headlock. The blonde sputtered and couched and rubbed his neck gingerly as he tried catching his breath, "Augh, I almost passed out from lack of oxygen and pancake overdose."

Noctis laughed as he helped himself to a plate of pancakes. "I'm glad there was extra for you to eat."

"And why is that Noct?" Prompto asked as he chugged down a glass of milk.

Noctis swallowed his first bite of pancake before answering; "Because you would have woken up from your food coma with a black eye." he said pointing his fork at his friend.

Prompto nearly spit out his milk, "Heyyyy, not funny!" He said and crossed his arms. Gladiolus let out a loud laugh and even Ignis snickered at Noctis's remark.

After a few more minutes of conversation, laughter and consumption of breakfast the four friends phone alarms went off in unison.

Noctis quickly set the alarm of his black phone off, "Time to go guys." He said slipping his phone back in his pocket.

Ignis had just finished washing the dishes and was drying his hands when he saw Gladiolus take the car keys down from the key rack. "Hey Ignis, think fast!"

There was little to no time to react as the car keys flew across the room, but Ignis merely adjusted his glasses and easily caught the keys. "Shotgun!" Prompto yelled eagerly as he dashed out the front door like a little kid heading for the toy store.

"Oh no you don't!" Gladiolus yelled as he ran after the energetic Prompto.

"Noct, can you lock the door?" Ignis asked looking over his shoulder as he headed towards the door. Noctis grabbed his bag once more slung it over his shoulder and nodded as he took the house keys down the key rack. Like his bedroom door, Noctis securely locked the front door of the house and sat in the back seat of Ignis's car beside Gladiolus.

Once all four were in the car, seat belts secure and doors locked, Ignus turned the ignition on and the car roared to life. Prompto thrust a fist in the air, "Let's go guys! Don't want to be late on the first day!" And with that, the four were on their way to their first day at Bodhum Guardian Corp Academy.

**Paradigm Shift**

Lightning walked the empty halls of Guardian Corp Academy enjoying the peaceful atmosphere as she heard the sounds of her boots echo with each step she took. The young woman was a star cadet at the Academy and always liked getting some combat practice in the training room as a warm up before starting the day off. It was like a weekday ritual for her; first she would get up, take a shower and dress, eat breakfast with her sister Serah, see her off, go to the Academy early and then practice.

She reached the door of the training room and swiped her ID card through the scanner; she heard several beeps and then a small ding before she heard the lock unlock with a click. The doors slid open and she stepped into the large training room already occupied with five other familiar faces. There were two young women doing stretches, one was Vanille, a perky red head who always seemed upbeat and the woman next to her was Fang, a dark haired woman with a protective complex towards Vanille; although they were not blood related, they were as close as sisters and very dear friends of Lightning. The next was a young boy whose silver haired shined like morning dew, the little brother of the group, Hope. The sound of a punching bag being assaulted only meant that Snow was warming up as well. He was a tall built man whose dirty blonde hair stuck out from under his black skull cap and to Lightning's resentment, was her sister's fiancé. The man supervising them all was none other than Sazh, a dark skinned man with an afro housing a chocobo chick.

Hope turned towards the door as he heard them open and shouted "It's Light everyone!" Vanille ceased her stretches and squealed to see her friend and ran towards her with Hope not far behind. Fang smiled and walked towards the star cadet as well.

Vanille pounced on Lightning as soon as she was a good jumping distance away from her, happily greeting the other woman with a big morning hug; Lightning smiled softly and returned the gesture, both actions which were rare for others aside from her friends and family to see. "Hi ya Light! How was your morning?" she said enthusiastically as she released Lightning from the hug.

"It was…alright." She said nonchalantly as she tossed her bag aside and removed her overcoat and cap leaving her in a zip-up turtleneck which revealed her naval and naval piercing, her shorts, stockings and boots - the bottom half of the Guardian Corp uniform for women. She didn't want sweat to get on her coat as she began her workout starting with a few stretches to warm up her body up.

Hope waited for Lightning to finish her stretches before greeting her as he didn't want to interrupt her routine. "Hey Light," he said once she finished stretching her legs, "Did you hear about the new transfers?"

Lightning patted Hope on the head before walking towards the nearest punching bag. She unleashed a barrage of kicks on the stationary 70lb bag which instantly sent it swinging back and forth. Everyone stared at her, she never failed to impress them; she was strong and beautiful. Lightning stopped the punching bag from swinging making it stationary once again before answering Hope's question. "I've heard a bit from Serah," she jabbed the punching bag a few times and continued, "She says they're from that far off city called Tenebrae is it?"

Hope nodded and sat down at a bench with Vanille watching Lightning's workout. Fang yawned and walked up to the punching bag beside the one being assaulted by Lightning and kicked it several times matching Lightning's power before continuing the story about the transfers. "That's right Sunshine," the dark haired beauty said calling Lightning by her own personal nickname for her, "Apparently one of them is supposed to be royalty or something, what was his name again?" Fang stopped kicking the punching bag and crossed her arms as she pondered. "No... Nostalgia? Not this? Noc… Noc…"

Snow grinned as he found an opportunity to insert some humor in the conversation, "Whose there?"

Fang waved her hand dismissing the comment. "Haha, you're very funny," she said sarcastically.

Sazh chuckled and sighed as he sat down next to Hope relieved to take the weight off his legs. "I'm gettin too old for this" he whispered to himself before turning to Fang. "Now why would someone be named any of those things lady?"

Fang shrugged as she paced back and forth still trying to think of the mystery aristocrat's name. "Beats me, I'm not the guy's parent, I wouldn't know their reasons for giving him a strange name."

Lightning laughed a bit as she grabbed a towel to wipe off her sweat. She rubbed the cloth over her face letting it absorb the small beads of perspiration, after which she slung it over her shoulder, took a water bottle from her bag and sat at a bench. She opened the cap and drank some water before speaking, "As long as they're not stereotypical, snobby rich kids that wave their money around in people's faces we can-" Lightning stopped to take another drink of water, "scratch that, we might be able to get along."

**Paradigm Shift**

The four were able to arrive at the front steps to the Academy with five minutes to spare, they didn't recall roadwork on their usual route; luckily at every red light Prompto formed a gun with his fingers and said "Bang! You turn green." And at every instant he did so, the light responded accordingly which amazed Prompto himself as he stared at his fingers in disbelief.

"Let's go guys, hurry! We still have to introduce ourselves!" Prompto yelled halfway up the steps already. Noctis and Gladiolus followed suite with Ignis bringing up the rear after setting the car alarm.

"Hey Ignis! You're the first for introductions so you better hurry!" Gladiolus yelled over his shoulder as he reached the top of the steps.

It was a mad dash to their classroom seeing as how it was located on the second floor. Prompto nearly tripped on the steps which would have sent the three others following behind him to fall as well. With one minute to spare they arrived at the front door of the classroom to meet their instructor before their personal introductions to their fellow Corp members. Their instructor was a big man named Amodar with dark skin, short, spiky, brown hair and brown mustache. He wore a uniquely colored Guardian Corp outfit indicating his position as lieutenant. The man raised one eye brow and eyed each of them suspiciously wondering why they were sweating and panting so much. Noctis regained his composure and stepped forward clapping his heels together and saluting Amodar, "Sorry we're late sir! We had a bit of trouble with traffic!"

Amodar crossed his arms with a stern look on his face like that of a father discovering his child had misbehaved. "Is that so?" he asked as he looked each one of them in the eye.

"Yes sir!" they said in unison saluting their commanding officer once more hoping that they had not ruined the day already.

Amodar stared at all of them once more before smiling and letting out a hearty laugh confusing the four men. "Take it easy guys," he said cheerfully, "It's the first day, relax a little! There will be plenty of time to get serious in the future! And besides, according to my watch you all have one minute to spare so get a move on!"

The four smiled at one another before grinning at Amodar, "Yes sir!" they all said at once.

Amodar grinned, "Alright then!" The big man slipped his hand in his pocket and pulled out a roster tracing his finger along the paper searching for the name of the person to introduce himself first. "Mr. Ignis is it?" he asked looking at Prompto.

Prompto laughed at the mistaken identity, "Hahaha! Afraid not lieutenant! I'm Prompto! The one you're looking for is the stick in the mud over there with the specs!" he said pointing a finger at Ignis who gave Prompto an annoyed look.

Amodar smiled and looked at Prompto then at the annoyed Ignis, "Looks like you all get along just fine." he said chuckling. "Let's go then Mr. Stick in the Mud, you first!" Amodar said as he opened the door to their classroom.

All the cadets were seated organizing their papers or talking amongst one another. Lightning and the others sat in the back of the room conversing with one another - with the exception of Sazh who was actually another instructor teaching another class - when Amodar opened the door of the room. "Looks like those transfers are here," Lightning said as she stared at the door wondering what the new cadets would be like.

Amodar cleared his throat and announced in a clear, loud voice, "Attention cadets! Please meet your new members starting with this man!" Ignis walked through the door while Noctis, Prompto and Gladiolus remained out of sight outside the room waiting for their turns to be called in. Ignis stood at the front of the classroom, faced his fellow cadets, clapped his heels together and saluted them all like he did Amodar with his friends earlier. "Cadet Ignis reporting! I hope we may all get along and work hard together!" All the cadets saluted Ignis.

Snow laughed and cupped his hands over his mouth and whispered to the others, "He looks like a real bookworm,"

Lightning unamused by the comment sat back down after saluting, crossed her arms and one leg over the other and turned towards Snow giving him a nasty look, "Be quiet you idiot." She said coldly.

Snow shrugged his shoulders, "Jeez sis, no need to be so harsh."

"I am not your sister! Don't get involved with Serah!" Lightning snapped back glaring at Snow.

Hope sighed as he reached into his bag to remove his notebook and pencils, "There they go again."

Fang leaned back in her seat, placed her hands behind her head, put her feet on top of her desk and laughed, "Can't blame her. I would be pretty irritated if I found out a blockhead like Snow would be going after Vanille."

Snow turned towards Fang and opened his mouth to return the remark when Amodar cleared his throat again as he introduced the next transfer. Again all the cadets stood up and saluted with the exception of Fang who remained seated confident that all the other cadets standing and saluting would be enough to conceal her from Amodar.

Prompto nudged Noctis and Gladiolus on the arms before saying, "Wish me luck guys!" and walked inside the room twirling his cap around his finger. The blonde confidently strutted up to the front of the classroom and tossed his cap in the air which landed perfectly on his head. "How do ya do everyone? I'm Prompto! Try not to fall in love with me~" he said teasingly. Several girls swooned at his bravado and charm including Vanille to Fang's shock.

"You can't seriously like that right Vanille?" Fang asked in a slightly panicked voice.

Vanille giggled like a love-struck schoolgirl, "Oh I dunno~" she said rather shyly.

Prompto scanned the classroom and spotted Vanille whom he immediately found attractive. He shaped his fingers into the form of a gun point once again, aimed at her and winked which caused the red head to blush and got Fang to glare at him. Prompto saw the malice in Fang's eyes and gulped as he walked to his seat next to Ignis's. "H-Hey Ignis? I think I've made a few enemies already."

Ignis pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes obviously annoyed. "I would be your enemy too! You acted like a complete fool."

Prompto slouched on his desk, put his head down and groaned. "Lighten up Ignissss."

Fang glared at Prompto from the corner of her eyes when Vanille tugged on the sleeve of her uniform. "Please take it easy Fang, he was just teasing."

Fang turned towards Vanille and said in an almost scolding voice, "You can't just fall head over heels like that, you don't even know the guy!" She turned her attention back to the front of the class as Amodar introduced the next transfer, "You'll never see me falling for-"

Fang stopped midsentence as her eyes were glued to the man that walked in next.

Gladiolus grinned at the whole class; such a happy expression conflicted with his intimidating stature. "How is everyone? I'm Gladiolus, though I'm not as flashy as little Prompto over there, I hope my introduction isn't too boring." Many of the cadets laughed and Prompto groaned even more.

"Give me a break" Prompto whispered to Gladiolus as he sat down.

Gladiolus smiled, "It's alright Prompto, besides I helped you!"

"Whaddaya mean helped me?"

Gladiolus pointed behind him and Prompto stared at a giggling Vanille who waved at him with her fingers. Prompto blushed and waved back before turning his head back to the front of the class. At the same moment Gladiolus saw Fang whose face had turned slightly red as well. Gladiolus gave her a friendly smile before turning his attention to the front of the class as well leaving Fang stunned.

Vanille grinned and poked Fang in the ribs, "You like himmmmm~" she teased.

Fang tried to change the subject, "So Sunshine! What do you think of 'em?"

Lightning turned towards Fang, "The one in the glasses seems intelligent, just from his actions and words from his introduction. The blonde makes me want to punch Snow and the big guy doesn't seem like a bad fighter."

Everyone was then thinking of the same thing 'What is this so called prince like?' Their question was about to be answered as Amodar introduced the final transfer. "Please give a warm welcome to the last transfer to Guardian Corp Academy!" The whole class seemed to hold their breath as they heard Noctis footsteps echo on the floor. Noctis stood up proudly at the front of the classroom and said in his cool and collected voice. "Noctis Lucis Caelum, I'm pleased to meet all of you."

Some of the female cadets whispered to one another about his stunning looks and some of the guys questioned if he really was the heir to the Caelum throne at Tenebrae.

Fang snapped her fingers finally realizing the man's name, "So that's his name! Noctis." Everyone turned towards Lightning to hear what she had analyzed about the fourth man but she only said one word. The same word Noctis said as he locked eyes with her. For a moment it seemed like they were the only two in the classroom as they stared into one another's eyes.

"…interesting."

**End Chapter**

Thank you for reading Chapter 1 of "The Rose of the Night!" I understand that there may not be many who agree with these pairings but nevertheless, I hope the story does well. It is a Lightning an Noctis fanfic so I hope I can get more people to like this pairing. Reviews would be very much appreciated and I will continue the story and or start other stories according to feedback ^^. Thank you very much to all those who read!


	2. Terra Incognita

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy!

Hello everyone! I'm really glad to discover that some people like the first chapter of "The Rose of the Night!" One thing I noticed was that I forgot to put in the "**Paradigm Shift**" mark in order to signify a transition between Noctis and his friends and Lightning and her friends. I'll be doing that from now on! Many thanks to "Dhdufhuebrhaube" for pointing out I misspelled Ignis, I really can't believe I did that. One thing I would also like to mention is how would you all feel about other final fantasy characters making an appearance in this story such as Cloud and friends? Just for this chapter I will include them and see how others feel. If it does not work out, please tell me! Now without further ado, chapter two!

**Chapter 2: Terra Incognita **

Noctis stared into Lightning's pale blue eyes and Lightning stared into his deep blue eyes for what seemed like an eternity. No one else aside from Noctis's friends and Lightning's friends seemed to notice what the two were doing because they were talking about the prince. Noctis was the first to break the staring contest as he cleared his throat and averted his gaze to his desk. Lightning smirked victoriously as she watched the man walk to his seat from the corner of her eyes.

Prompto looked at Noctis, then at Lightning and then back at Noctis. "What was that about Noct?" Prompto asked as he continued to look at the two back and forth.

Noctis crossed one leg over the other, placed his elbow on his desk and rested his head on his hand as he stared at the front of the room thinking about Lightning's intense stare. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Fang grinned and whispered to the others, "Well well, it looks like Sunshine over there has found someone of interest to her~"

To everyone's surprise Lightning nodded before saying, "You bet, this guy seems really interesting."

Vanille squealed, "Does that mean Lightning has fallen in-"

She was interrupted by Lightning, "I wonder how well he can fight. He has the eyes of a fighter."

Vanille blinked completely dumbfounded. "That's what she was thinking about? Fighting him?!" Vanille huffed.

Fang roared in laughter, "That's our Sunshine."

Lightning stared at her friends with a questioning look on her face. "What did you think I was thinking about?"

**Paradigm Shift**

"Fighting her?! Are you crazy Noct?" Prompto shouted in the cafeteria as he sat down at a table with the other three men. "I could have thought you were thinking about something else since you two were exchanging glances at one another during class, but fighting her?! Amodar said she's the star cadet!"

Noctis nodded his head, "All the more reason to fight her. I can tell that she's pretty strong from her eyes. Those are the eyes of someone who has seen combat, but I won't know until we entering the sparring arena. If I can defeat her it would mean I'm the strongest. I just hope my intuition wasn't wrong and it isn't a complete waste of my time."

Ignis sighed as he twirled some pasta around his fork, "Don't get too full of yourself Noct, never underestimate your opponents." Noctis merely waved his hand dismissing the comment as he reached for his fork and knife. Ignis shook his head, "One of your largest flaws is overestimating your power and underestimating your opponent Noct."

Gladiolus chuckled and put his hand on Ignis's shoulder, "Let him be for now Ignis, battling is a learning experience."

Ignis sighed once again and took a bite of his pasta.

Gladiolus scratched the back of his head and laughed a bit. In the reflection of Ignis's glasses he could see Prompto reaching out across the table to steal a piece of his steak with his fork. When Prompto's fork was about an inch away from the sirloin Gladiolus pushed the plate away and reached across the table pulling the blonde into another headlock.

"N-Not this again!" Prompto sputtered as he gasped for air.

Gladiolus laughed, "You never learn do you?"

While the two were wrestling, Noctis found himself deep in thought as he poked his steak with his fork. 'It's been a while since I've fought; I'm itching for some action. After lunch are the sparring matches to determine where each cadet specializes in. I'll get my chance to reveal my power and skill there. Prepare yourself Lightning!"

**Paradigm Shift**

Fang glared at Vanille as she dreamily stared at Prompto who was shouting from across the cafeteria due to Gladiolus's chokehold. "Isn't he funny Fang?" Vanille asked completely oblivious to the other woman's negative feelings towards Prompto.

"You have got to be kidding me Vanille" Fang said before pinching Vanille's cheeks making the redhead wince at the slight pain. "Wake up little missy! The guy seems like a younger version of him!" Fang pointed at Snow whose face was covered in steak sauce do to his messy manners.

Vanille giggled, "I don't see the resemblance." She said innocently.

As the two girls began to bicker like siblings the familiar chocobo chick which took up residence in Sazh's afro flew over to the table signaling the man's arrival. Sazh walked up to the table and sat down next to Hope. "What's wrong with the two little ladies over there?" Sazh asked the silver haired boy as he opened up a bottle of soda.

Before Hope could answer, Snow tried to explain the situation through a mouth filled with food, "Dose choo are fighching abouch wove!" He said sputtering bits of steak on himself.

Hope stared at the man in dismay wishing he had better table manners. The boy shook his head before turning to Sazh, "They're arguing because Vanille has a thing for one of the new transfers." He said finally shedding some light for the confused Sazh.

Sazh's expression changed from confusion to realization, "I get it now, little missy over there is smitten. That explains that, but now what about star cadet lady over there?" Sazh asked pointing at Lightning who was staring at her lunch intensely.

Hope laughed a bit at Lightning's serious expression, "She's been like that ever since she sat down," Sazh looked at Hope in disbelief, "apparently she wants to fight one or even all of the transfers. She's probably imagining that steak she's having for lunch is really the sparring arena and she's fighting."

Sazh laughed as he took a bite of steak, "Wouldn't surprise me."

Like Noctis, Lightning was deep in thought as she formulated various battle strategies in her head for the upcoming sparring matches. "That should work" she muttered under her breath as she finally cut into her steak. "I hope you're a good fighter Mr. Prince."

**Paradigm Shift **

As lunch came to a close, the noon bell rang signaling all cadets to return to their classrooms for further instruction. On their way out of the cafeteria Prompto spotted a trash bin and told Noctis and the others to roll up any trash wrappers they had and give it to him. Gladiolus spotted the trash bin as well and realized what the blonde was doing.

Prompto grinned at his friends realization, "Let's see who can get more shots in!" he told the other three.

Ignis handed his rolled up wrappers to Gladiolus wanting nothing to do with the game, "I'll pass and keep score instead."

Prompto whined, "Aww, that's no fun" he shrugged his shoulders "you're missing out Ignis."

Noctis positioned himself into a throwing stance and focused on the trash bin. "I shall win." He said confidently.

Prompto began laughing so much that small tears appeared in the corners of his eyes. "Don't take it… hahaha… so seriously Noct!" He said while trying to catch his breath.

Noctis smiled, "Are we going to do this or not?"

Gladiolus stretched his arms and aimed for the trashbin, "On the count of three?"

Both of the other participants nodded in agreement as they began the countdown in unison. "One… two… three!"

Three pieces of trash flew across the air heading straight towards the trash bin. The three participants watched the three pieces of trash soar in the air and to Ignis's embarrassment all three began cheering on their piece of trash like a fan would cheer for their favorite Blitzball team. It looked like all the pieces of trash would enter the trash bin without trouble until an unknown fourth piece of trash clashed with the other three sending each in different directions.

Prompto fell on his knees dramatically placed his hands on his head and yelled, "Noooooooo!"

Noctis stared at his motionless piece of trash on the floor in disbelief, "I-Impossible…"

Gladiolus covered his eyes with his arm as if he was trying to keep tears from falling.

Ignis stared at his friends with an unamused expression. "What are you guys doing?"

All three looked at Ignis and started laughing, "Who knows." They all said together.

Ignis sighed and smiled at his friend's playful foolishness. They all laughed together when footsteps accompanied by an unknown voice called out to them. "Hey! I didn't think all our pieces of trash would collide like that!" The four men turned to the direction the voice was coming from and saw a slightly tanned man with dirty blonde hair running towards them. "I could have sworn I made that shot with enough speed."

Prompto jumped up and dusted off his pants, "Not a problem! We were playing a game is all!" Prompto formed his fingers into his signature gun point and aimed at the young man, "The name's Prompto, from Tenebrae! The cool guy over there is Noctis, the big guy is Gladiolus and Mr. Glasses over there is Ignis."

The other man grinned and pointed at his chest with his thumb, "I'm Tidus! Aspiring ace, star blitzball player! I'm from Zanarkand. Nice to meet you guys!" Tidus shook everyone's hands symbolizing the start of a new friendship.

"Zanarkand, that's a long way from here, I've always wanted to go there!" Prompto said excitedly.

Tidus placed his hands on Prompto's shoulders and returned the comment with equal enthusiasm. "It's really great! And the blitzball stadium there is out of this world!"

Gladiolus chuckled, "The both of them have enough energy to bring life into 10 lifeless classrooms."

Noctis smiled and nodded in agreement, "No argument there."

After discussing blitzball for a few minutes several voices could be heard calling out Tidus's name. One voice was soft and calm, another was upbeat - which made Prompto's heart skip a beat because it reminded him of Vanille – and the third was the voice of a man with an accent.

"Tidusss! Where are youuu? We're going to be late!"

"Yeah Mr. Ace! Where didya run off to? Yunie's been looking for ya!"

"Hey bruddah! Where did you go man?"

Tidus flicked himself on the forehead, "Looks like I lost track of time again. Those are some of my friends; I'll introduce you and then we'll have to run to class!"

Prompto nodded and called Noctis, Prompto and Gladiolus over while Tidus put two fingers in his mouth and blew making a whistling sound giving his location off to his friends. His whistle was met with another's and the five men saw three individuals in the distance; the whistling was coming from a girl with shoulder length brown hair. The other girl had long blonde hair and wore a blue headband along with her Guardian Corp cap. The man accompanying the two women had tanned skin and bright orange hair. Tidus waved at the three and they took off running towards the blonde.

The girl with brown hair wrapped her arms around Tidus and gave him a big hug. After releasing him she placed her hands on her hips and looked at him in the eyes, "Where were you?" She asked curiously.

Tidus laughed nervously and took her by the hand, "Hey Prompto, Noctis, Gladiolus, Ignus, this cutie right here is Yuna!"

The girl blushed at Tidus's introduction of her and greeted Prompto and the others with a smile. They noticed she had heterochromia and Yuna noticed them staring. "I'm half Al Bhed."

Noctis was stunned as he gazed into her eyes – which reminded him of Lightning. "There are cadets here from all over the world."

Yuna nodded, "Bodhum is a popular resort area so lots of people try to go here." Noctis nodded in agreement recalling that he read the bit of information in a Bodhum information guide.

The brown haired woman turned once again to Tidus, "So you were making some new friends, that's just like you." Yuna said as she pushed Tidus on the shoulder playfully.

The other girl with blonde hair and blue bandana coughed interrupting the couple, "Alrighty love birds, we've got to get to class!"

Both Tidus and Yuna blushed at the love bird comment and everyone laughed.

Yuna ran behind the girl and pushed her forward which made the girl lose her balance and crash into Ignis sending them both to the ground, "This here is my cousin Rikku everybody." Yuna said innocently.

Ignis blushed at the close contact from the girl and helped her up like a gentlemen while trying to hide his emotions. He tried adjusting his glasses but found that they weren't on his face.

Rikku smiled at the man, "Hey thanks for that, I'm pretty clumsy at times. Here you go. I found them on the floor."

Ignis saw that Rikku was holding his glasses, but before he could reach out to take them back, she put them on his face without hesitation.

Prompto whistled playfully and grinned from ear to ear, "Ignis is getting some action guys!"

Ignis glared at Prompto which was his way of telling him to be quiet. Prompto held up his hands in defense and mouthed the words "Take it easy!"

Rikku laughed and patted Ignis on the head before returning to Yuna which left the man stunned.

"Alrighty, where's my intro little bruddah?" The man with bright orange hair looked at Tidus.

Tidus walked over to him and threw one arm around his neck and pointed to the man's face, "This here is Wakka! He's been like a brother to me ever since we met at Besaid Island!"

Wakka smiled and ruffled Tidus's hair which made everyone smile, "Always brothers man."

Gladiolus threw his arms around Noctis, Prompto and Ignis's necks bringing the four together and shouted, "I know how you feel! These guys here are like my brothers, family you know?"

Wakka agreed, "Ya man!"

The eight quickly grew acquainted with one another, but were soon reminded of why Yuna and the others were looking for Tidus when they saw the other cadets running in the hallways.

Tidus took Yuna's hand and started running with her and shouted behind his back while Rikku and Wakka followed close behind, "Later guys! We don't want to be late! Let's meet up again at the sparring matches!"

Prompto cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled at them from across the hall, "You got it!"

Noctis tapped Prompto on the shoulder, "We better get going to." He reminded the blonde and pointed to Ignis who was tapping his foot impatiently.

"Alrighty, let's go guys, last one over there cooks or pays for dinner tonight!" Gladiolus yelled, which got everyone sprinting to the classroom.

Noctis didn't notice he was falling behind the others in the race due to his excitement for the sparring matches. "It's almost time to see what everyone is made of." He said to himself. "I can't wait to fight you Ms. Star Cadet."

**End Chapter**

Thank you all for reading and feedback is very much appreciated! The next chapter will contain some of the sparring matches!


	3. Start Your Engines

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy does not belong to me.

Hello again everyone! I'd like to thank you all for the reviews! I received various points of views and many strong points which I will very well consider! This chapter starts off with Lightning and Noctis's friends but will have a transition to more Lightning and Noctis! From that point on the story will focus more on our two protagonists! I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

**Chapter 3: Start your Engines**

"They're staring again…" Hope said as he looked at Lightning and Noctis staring at the other from across the room. Ever since the two entered the classroom at the end of the lunch break, they sat down, unpacked their things and locked eyes with one another.

Despite them seemingly to be focused on the other - much to their friend's surprise - whenever Lightning and Noctis were called on to answer a question about the lecture, they would look at Amodar, respond with a flawless answer and then sit down and stare at the other once again. After a while they stopped staring at one another and turned their attention to the clock and counted the minutes down; after five minutes a notice would be announced on the intercom signaling cadets to head to the sparring arenas. There were only five minutes left before everyone would head towards the arenas; everyone was filled with excitement.

Lightning drummed her fingers on her desk impatiently and grumbled, "This seems like the longest five minutes ever…" She glanced at the clock once again, "Tch… Only one minute has passed, are you kidding me?" She muttered with an annoyed tone in her voice. She turned her head and stared out the window and sighed.

Snow was focused on his pencil which he was balancing on the point of his finger and said, "You sure are impatient when you really want something sis- whoa! I reached the 10 second mark, a few more and I'll break my record!"

Before Snow could reach his designated pencil balancing goal, Lightning took the writing utensil and snapped it in half before discarding the remnants on the man's desk. "Do not call me 'sis.'" The woman said coldly.

Hope shivered at the tone of Lightning's voice and stuttered, "Y-You better listen to her next time Snow."

The dirty blonde grinned foolishly and opened his mouth, but before he could say anything he was interrupted by Fang's laughter, "Looks like that's not happening. You better have medical insurance Snow." Fang shook her head, "You must be a glutton for punishment."

Snow rocked back and forth on his chair with his hands behind his head and gave everyone a wide grin, "You bet, love makes you do crazy things!"

Lightning groaned wondering about how her sister ever became attracted to the immature man.

Vanille clasped her hands together and smiled, "Love is great!"

Snow gave Vanille a thumbs up and Fang rolled her eyes. She looked at the jittery redhead and spoke as if giving her a lecture. "Vanille, what do you know about the new transfer?"

Vanille placed her finger over her lips and pondered for a moment, "I know that he's funny, and he has a really nice smile!" She suddenly blushed, "A-And I think he might like me too!" At that moment Vanille turned her head and caught Prompto staring at her, but he quickly turned around after being spotted.

Fang sighed completely disappointed at the lack of relative information in the Vanille's answer and pinched her on the cheek. "Ouch! Let go Fang!" Vanille clenched onto her skirt trying to endure the stinging pain.

Fang stared in Vanille's eyes as if she was a parent scolding her child, "'Think' isn't good enough…" the dark haired woman sighed again but then smiled sincerely,"…listen Vanille, I just want you to be safe okay?" She said in a reassuring tone.

Vanille pouted and rubbed her sore cheek, "Nnn, you really need to stop pinching my cheeks!" She winced as she touched the reddened area.

Fang chuckled in response, "It's my job to look over you."

Vanille smiled at Fang before saying, "You do a really good job."

Lightning smiled at the two; they reminded her of her sister Serah and herself. Lightning promised that she would always look out for Serah which is precisely why she was so strict on Snow. The star cadet never really thought about love beyond family and friendly relations.

'_That kind of love is probably a distraction_.' Lightning thought to herself silently and turned her attention back to the window.

**Paradigm Shift**

"She almost saw me staring at her! That would have ruined everything wouldn't it?!" Prompto asked Gladiolus while Amodar was giving a lecture about the various branches of Guardian Corps.

"You really can't take your eyes off her huh Prompto?" Gladiolus asked the nerve racked blonde.

Prompto took a deep breath in order to calm himself down, "I-I can't help it, she's really cute!" He took another deep breath and smiled like a lovestruck child.

Ignis interjected, "But you know nothing of her. How is it that you can so easily lose control of your emotions when you lack crucial information?"

Prompto crossed his arms and closed his eyes, "That'll change in the future!" The blonde grinned mischievously, "Anyways, enough about me, how come you were so red when Rikku patted you on the head Ignis?" He was waiting for an opportunity to get a rise out of his friend.

Ignis lost composure for a moment, "I merely lost focus, nothing more. I never asked her to put my glasses on for me! I could have done it myself!"

Prompto leaned back in his seat and stared at the ceiling, "Yeah yeah… I'm sure you liked it~"

Ignis ignored the comment and jotted some notes down in his notebook.

Amodar was in the middle of the lecture when he spotted Prompto sitting down in a leisurely manner. "Prompto!"

"Wah!" The surprised blonde lost his balance and his seat fell back sending the man crashing down on the floor. He quickly stood up and saluted Amodar. Prompto had no idea what was going on panicked and blurted out "Bresha Ruins!" Several cadets giggled while Ignis rubbed his temples.

Amodar couldn't help but smile, "Prompto, I didn't even ask a question yet."

Prompto blinked several times before grinning and scratching the back of his head, "Whoops." More cadets laughed along with Prompto himself.

Amodar chuckled and then cleared his throat, "Anyways, let's get back to the lecture shall we?"

Prompto nodded and sat back in his seat when all of a sudden a thought appeared in his head. He looked at Gladiolus and whispered, "Hey, Gladiolus!"

The man responded with a soft, "Hmm?"

"Do you have anyone you're interested in?"

Gladiolus crossed his arms and closed his eyes and sat in silence for a while before answering, "You could say that." He said with a grin.

Prompto's face lit up with excitement, "Wanna tell meeeee?" the blonde whispered eagerly.

Gladiolus shrugged, "Sure, but you won't like it."

Prompto scoffed, "She's not that mean is she?"

Gladiolus replied with a grin, "You'll just have to see later on."

Prompto whined like a child who couldn't buy a new toy, "Aww c'monnn, Noct has eyes for the star soldier of the class, and even Ignis has someone he's into!"

Noctis failed to hear what Prompto said as he was staring out of the window into his own dream world while Ignis heard very clearly.

Ignis snapped at Prompto once again, "I am not interested in her!"

Prompto rolled his eyes, "Pfffft, keep telling yourself that."

Noctis suddenly interrupted the three's conversation, "It's time." He said abruptly as he closed his eyes waiting for an announcement.

Sure enough, right on cue to the prince's prediction the intercom went off and woman's voice rung through the classrooms and halls. "All cadets and supervisors, please make way to the sparring arenas, it is time for evaluation." Such a simple statement triggered an explosion of excitement.

Lightning looked at Amodar and saw him nod at her, a silent signal giving her the okay to lead the class. She quickly stood up from her desk, slung her bag over her shoulder and began walking towards the door with her friends following suite. Before stepping outside she said in a clear commanding tone, "Let's move!"

Noctis smirked and glanced at his friends who were smiling as well. "Let's go guys." The dark haired man said as he slung his bag over his shoulder just like Lightning.

Gladiolus punched the palm of his left hand with his right fist, "I was getting tired of waiting." He said, relieved to be standing rather than sitting in his desk.

Ignis merely adjusted his glasses and slid his chair in his desk.

Prompto's tone had suddenly changed from playful to serious as he slowly rose from his seat. He adjusted his cap and smiled mischievously as he turned to face his friends. "Let's go wild guys."

Noctis chuckled, faced the door and began walking, "No need to tell me twice."

**Paradigm Shift**

All of the cadets were struck in awe as they entered the sparring arena; the large stadium was built in the shape of a dome with the roof enabled to open up transforming the place into a huge amphitheater. Lightning scanned the area and heard murmurs from the crowd of cadets around her.

"You can fit a blitzball stadium in here!"

"Do you think this is big enough to hold a chocobo racing track?"

"Of course it is!"

Lightning smiled finding the cadets comments to be amusing; seeing the arena was a part of her daily routine, in addition she had seen the amphitheater on various occasions seeing as how she was a returning cadet. She felt someone's hand on her shoulder and turned around to see Fang grinning at her.

"Hey Sunshine, did you get a look the little cubs faces?" The woman seemed to be as amused as Lightning as they observed the incoming flux of students. Vanille could be seen chatting amongst various cadets along with Hope.

"She's probably boosting their morale with one of her goofy pep talks." Fang said to Lightning after seeing the energetic redhead high five one of the new cadets.

Lightning nodded in agreement before scanning her surroundings once again for the person she was looking for. There was so much activity going on in the arena: Fang had gone to Vanille and Hope, Sazh was seen directing some of the new cadets to designated areas, and Snow was boasting to various cadets.

It only took a few seconds before Lightning spotted someone with messy hair the color of the night sky in the distance. "Found you." The words left Lightning's mouth on instinct and coincidentally, as if he could hear her, Noctis turned to her direction. His azure eyes met her aqua eyes and the feeling returned, they felt like they were the only ones in the room.

The two individuals were brought back to reality when Amodar's voice boomed through the arena.

"Attention cadets! Please turn your attention to the holo-screens." At that moment, a large holo-screen appeared in the center of the stadium with the photos of various instructors with a description detailing the weapon or weapons they specialize in. "These are the instructors which will be testing your weapon expertise in the weapon you prefer. Please find the instructor and line up in their designated area and wait for your name to be called. Their methods of testing you will be up to them! Everyone will be using specialized Guardian Corp weapons or GC weapons which will deliver a non-fatal shock to whoever is hit by them. Peacekeepers may also be utilized. Now everyone, start your engines and begin!"

**Paradigm Shift**

What initially started off as nerve racking indecisiveness soon became an eruption of action as the evaluations began. Noctis began walking around the arena, not to find an instructor, but to follow the only person in the crowd with hair the color of a sweet cherry blossom. He knew Lightning knew that he was following her; the only thing of concern at the moment was locating the instructor that would evaluate them. He figured since she was a veteran cadet she would know the perfect instructor. Along the way Noctis saw a large crowd of people spectating an evaluation. Upon further speculation Noctis saw that it was Prompto running around an obstacle course, ducking behind walls and using several firearms against robotic flies. He recalled the mechs to be the artificially created beasts called Peacekeepers Amodar was speaking of. A man with long black hair could be seen standing on top of a large pillar overlooking the obstacle course. Noctis read the name aloud to himself, "Vincent Valentine, firearms expert. Hmph, show him what you can do Prompto." He said to his friend silently.

Noctis continued to follow Lightning and saw Gladiolus battling head to head against his instructor Angeal Hewley with greatswords. Ignis was off battling another instructor named Auron with katanas. They both had large crowds watching them.

He averted his attention back to Lightning and saw that she was speaking with Amodar himself. Lightning suddenly pointed towards Noctis's direction without turning his way directing the commanding officer's attention to the dark haired man; Amodar spotted the man through the crowd of anxious cadets. He beckoned Noctis to come with a wave of his hand and Noctis complied.

They were finally face to face. Their hands twitched in anticipation as they stared at one another again silently. Amodar broke the silence suddenly as he spoke, "So Noctis, since Ms. Lightning here is a high enough rank, and I know her capabilities with a sword, I'll be evaluating you as you fight her. Does that sound good?" He asked as he scribbled some things on a clipboard.

Noctis stretched his arms and turned to Amodar before responding, "Perfect." Noctis then averted his gaze back to Lightning, "Don't disappoint me." He said smugly.

Lightning found his overconfidence to be overbearing and glared at him. "Save it." She said bluntly as she walked towards the weapon's armory. She didn't expect the man to be this smug. The young soldier strapped a holster on her left thigh and slid a gun in it making sure the weapon was secure. Noctis found himself staring at her legs as she did so but quickly brushed his thoughts away leaving himself wondering why he was staring in the first place. He walked towards the armory himself and noticed Lightning picking out a sword to accompany her gun.

'_A firearm… Isn't this supposed to be a battle with swords?_' The man pondered the question in his mind for a moment. '_No matter, I'll just have to change my tactics._' He concluded in his head silently.

Lightning saw Noctis select a decent broadsword for himself as well as a spear. She then noticed him glancing at throwing knives. After securing her sword in its sheath she turned to Noctis and crossed her arms. "Go ahead and take them. I'll be using three weapons." She revealed to him calmly.

'_Three?_' He scanned her and saw the sword and gun, but nothing more.

Lightning could see the faint confusion on his face and she pointed at her gloved left hand.

Noctis couldn't tell anything special about the glove but if she was confident enough as of to give him a third weapon he decided that it would be her mistake. He carefully secured three throwing knives on a belt holster and walked towards the evaluation area along with the female soldier.

They stood a few meters away from one another on the established arena and took up a battle stance.

Lightning eyed Noctis carefully, '_I suppose he isn't an amateur being a noble and all, his stance is pretty good._'

Noctis was thinking the same thing about Lightning seeing as how he couldn't see any clear openings for an attack.

Amodar smiled seeing the fire in both of their eyes. The commanding officer took a seat a safe distance away from the two cadets before announcing the start of the evaluation. "On the count of three you two," he took one final look at Lightning, then at Noctis before beginning his countdown, "One… two… three! Begin!"

Noctis immediately leapt forward spear in hand when Amodar announced the start of the battle. Rather than aiming for Lightning's body he directed the spear point towards her leg holster.

Lightning foresaw the pre-emptive strike and needed only to turn her body a bit to avoid the blow, saving her firearm in the process. Time seem to slow down for Noctis as he saw Lightning avoid the attack smoothly and as quick as he could blink, Lightning had drawn her sword and cut through the spear shaft easily rendering the weapon useless.

Lightning taunted him as she placed her hand on the grip of her gun and sheathed her sword, "Is that all?" She felt satisfied giving the man a taste of his own medicine.

Noctis jumped away quickly and scowled only to have Lightning draw her firearm and fire several shots at him. The man quickly drew his sword and deflected some bullets while dodging others. He knew the small gun was only able to carry a limited amount of ammo, due to this the damage inflicted would be minor, but nevertheless it was a dangerous weapon in the hands of an expert. Noctis drew one throwing knife from his belt and held it securely in his left hand and held his broadsword in his right.

Lightning aimed her gun at Noctis and shut one eye, sharpening her focus. She took a deep breath to steady the gun and then fired several shots. Noctis dodged them all and threw one knife aimed towards Lightning's left shoulder – the arm she held her gun with. She dodged the knife with the same fluid motion as the spear but then noticed another knife heading straight for her. Rather than dodging it this time she drew her sword and deflected the knife. She didn't notice how close the prince was to her. He had ducked and was a few meters away from her, third knife in hand. Lightning was the one caught off guard now. The female soldier jumped away and pointed her gun at Noctis.

Before she could pull the trigger the prince lunged forward quickly and thrust the knife into the barrel of her gun. He got up close to her face and smiled victoriously, "One weapon down."

Lightning stared at the man in disbelief, '_He sacrificed one weapon to take out one of mine, smart or reckless?_' She then noticed how close his face was to hers and blushed a bit.

Noctis lost focus for a moment as he lost his bravado and blushed too. Lightning then shook her head remembering to cut off distractions while in battle. She never felt such embarrassment before so the feeling was foreign to her. She erased the small feelings of embarrassment and glared at him. She then took the opportunity to pull a reversal.

Before Noctis could recover Lightning shoved the man away a short distance and followed up with a powerful kick to the chest sending the man flying back a few meters.

She pointed her sword at him, "Lose focus and it'll cost you." She said coldly as the man collected himself.

Noctis gritted his teeth and tightened his grip on the handle of his sword. He scolded himself silently for letting emotions get the better of him; it had cost him a bit of his pride. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes; when he opened them he glared at the soldier and pointed his sword at her.

All smugness was replaced with seriousness when he spoke to her again, "I don't need a lecture."

Lightning scoffed and repositioned herself in her battle stance. Noctis charged after her once more and swung his sword; Lightning saw the incoming attack and raised her sword in order to block the blow but what happened next shocked her. Noctis seemed to be aiming for her right side but at the last moment, he kicked off the ground with his left foot, causing him to dart over to her left. Lightning was surprised at his maneuver; she didn't have time to deflect the blow and instead swung her sword against Noctis's left arm.

The two felt a sharp surge of electricity course through their arms as the blades made contact. And they jumped back in unison.

Amodar smiled at the two and was joined by other instructors and cadets as they watched the battle unfold between the two skilled warriors.

"Pretty good." Lightning complimented the man which was rare to do so for anyone.

Noctis slowly clenched and unclenched his left fist trying to shake off the numbing feeling. He gave her a sincere smile. "It's been a while since someone has actually delivered a successful blow to me."

Lightning smirked, "First time for everything. Expect more to follow Mr. Prince."

Noctis beckoned her with his hand. "Come and try." He said confidently.

Lightning took the invitation and ran at the man with her blade gripped tightly in her hand. She swung right and Noctis blocked the blow with his own sword. She then grabbed his wrist with her free hand surprising the man and pulled him towards her. He lost his balance and drove her right knee into his stomach knocking the wind out of him.

Noctis coughed and fell to his knees trying to regain his breath; he then saw Lightning wind her leg up for another kick. Before her foot could make contact with the side of his face he held his arms up and blocked the fervent blow. He quickly grabbed her ankle and pulled the soldier down causing her to fall right on her back.

Lightning grunted with pain and opened her eyes to see Noctis's face close to hers again; he had her pinned to the floor.

Noctis smirked, "It looks like I win~" the man said victoriously.

There were some gasps in the crowd as they wondered if the star cadet had really been defeated by the prince.

Prompto and Gladiolus could be heard cheering in the crowd as Ignis observed silently.

"Way to go Noct!" Prompto cheered.

Lightning's friends knew different.

Sazh scratched the back of his head, "Now that was some evaluation."

Fang chuckled lightly, "It was a pretty good attempt."

Vanille giggled and shouted so that everyone heard, "Sorry Mr. Prince, but it's Light's win!"

Noctis and his friends were dumbfounded. It was Lightning's turn to smirk at Noctis. She quickly snapped her fingers and a blue electrical aura began to encase her body.

Noctis eyes widened, "That's your third weapon?!" Noctis said in disbelief. He was quickly repelled from Lightning's body and his sword was blown away. Lightning found an opening and leapt on Noctis straddling him and pinning him to the floor. She held her blade in front of his neck.

"AMP Grav-con unit." Were the words that left the prince's mouth.

Lightning nodded, "That was a good battle, but you need to recall information about your opponent.

Noctis turned his head away from her trying to take in his bitter loss. '_I was too overconfident… my emotions clouded my judgment._'

Lightning felt somewhat sorry for the defeated prince. She never meant to hurt his pride so much. They were silent together for a moment, unaware of the position they were in.

Reality hit Noctis suddenly and his damaged pride was temporarily replaced with the familiar feeling of embarrassment once more.

He turned his head back to Lightning and cleared his throat. "Lightning?"

Lightning looked into the man's eyes, "What is it?" She asked.

"Would you mind getting off me now?" Noctis turned his head to the side again trying to hide his faint blush.

Lightning blinked several times oblivious to what was going on until she realized she had the man pinned down. She quickly stood up and adjusted her cap as she sheathed her sword, a faint hint of red could be seen across her face.

Noctis stood up slowly dusted himself off and sighed. "I still can't believe it… it's been so long since I actually had to admit defeat."

They met one another's gaze once again. "I'll win next time." Noctis told Lightning with the same seriousness in his voice.

Lightning placed a hand on her hip and closed her eyes. "We'll see."

All of the cadets and instructors let out a storm of applause for the two combatants. Amodar's voice could be heard booming in the stadium once again. "Well done you two! That was really great! With that concludes the evaluations! We'll have the results in during the weekend!"

Noctis and Lightning nodded at the commanding officer before looking at the other once again. Without saying anything they turned around and walked off in opposite directions towards their friends.

"Looks like you had fun out there Light!" Hope said as he saw Lightning walking towards them. She smiled at the boy softly and nodded. "It was I suppose. He surprised me, though I hope he's less smug in our next fight." Lightning handed her sword and holster to Sazh. "Can you take care of these for me?"

Sazh nodded, "Mind helping me?" He asked Hope. The boy nodded and they both walked off to return the damaged equipment.

Lightning stretched as she walked towards the arena's exit. "It was definitely interesting."

**Paradigm shift **

"Yo! Noct! That was some fight!" Prompto said has he brought one arm around Noctis's neck. "Too bad for the loss."

Noctis looked away and scoffed, "I just made a few mistakes is all." He said plainly.

Ignis walked up to the man, "Right, but it's good to learn from those mistakes."

Noctis groaned he hated losing arguments, but reluctantly nodded; he was overconfident.

Gladiolus suddenly interrupted, "Hey Noct, hate to say this after that match but…." He looked over at Prompto and the blonde grinned.

Both of the men grinned at Noctis and announced in unison, "You're responsible for dinner tonight!"

Noctis blinked cluelessly. "What?"

**End Chapter**

Thank you for all the feedback! All of you make wonderful points and I will try to take them into account. I now have a reason for putting in some of the other Final Fantasy characters and I will try not to add anymore to refrain from steering the main plot away. From this point forward expect the story to focus more on Lightning and Noctis for they have had their first face to face encounter! Many thanks for the reviews! They help so much and show me that you all like the story!


	4. Face it Later

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy is the creation of the awesome minds at Square Soft now Square Enix!

**Chapter Four: Face it Later**

Noctis sighed as he began to swiftly cut meat into bite sized pieces. He forgot that he had lost the race back to their classroom before his match with Lightning because his thoughts were fixated on the female soldier. He took a blow to his pride and on top of it, was responsible for a meal. The young prince dumped the meat in a large pot of simmering sauce he had prepared earlier.

Noctis spoke to himself softly as he stirred the contents of the pot, "I still can't get over it… I'll just have to learn from these mistakes. I don't want to repeat them. I'll win next time, for sure."

After making his silent vow to win in their next battle, Noctis gathered gourd potatoes, star carrots and round corn to chop up for the stew. He lined all of the vegetables up on his cutting boards and like the meat, cut them into bite sized pieces before adding them into the stew.

Prompto entered the kitchen and took a deep breath taking in the aroma of cooking meat and vegetables. He licked his lips and walked over to Noctis. "You're cooking your signature stew Noct? Good choice! That'll be a good hearty meal after a day of battling like that." He said looking into the pot. Prompto's stomach began to rumble in anticipation for the stew, "Do you mind if I-"

Noctis pointed a ladle at Prompto, silencing his fried before speaking, "You'll get to eat some after it's ready."

"But-"

Noctis cut off the blonde before he could finish his counterargument, "Like you all said before, I'm responsible for the meal." He adjusted the heat of the stove so that the stew could simmer on low heat for a few minutes.

Prompto made a sour expression and stopped off to another room mumbling to himself about being hungry.

Noctis shook his head, "He needs to be more patient."

After a couple of more minutes of monitoring the stew, taste testing and seasoning properly, the stew was ready to be served. Noctis prepared four bowls and set them on the table before calling his friends over to eat; unfortunately Prompto, Gladiolus and even Ignis were preoccupied watching the Chocobo Racing channel betting on which chocobo would cross the finish line first.

The kitchen was a peaceful sanctuary compared to the chaos that was the living room. Noctis could hear Prompto and Gladiolus's cheers even before he entered the room.

"Go! Goooooo! You can do it Choco!"

"In your dreams Prompto, Volg has got this race in the bag!"

With each step Noctis took the cheers increased in volume until finally he was in the belly of the beast. The two men were cheering so loudly that Noctis was surprised the neighbors hadn't sent someone to complain already. Ignis was the only one aside from himself keeping a leveled head as he was jotting down race statistics in a notepad.

Noctis leaned against a wall and crossed his arms, "Hey guys, food is ready, hurry before it gets cold."

Ignis was the first to get up, he handed his notepad and pencil to Noctis, "Please right down who maintains the lead Noct."

Noctis couldn't decide whether to laugh or not, even the stoic Ignis was taking the racing seriously.

Without turning away from the tv monitor Gladiolus called out to Ignis, "Hey! Ignis, do you mind getting my food too?"

"And mine!" Prompto added.

Noctis stared at the two men in disbelief, "Prompto, I thought you were really hungry."

"Oh, I was Noct, and still am, but I want to see this! Final lap! You can do it Choco! Leave that Volg in the dust!"

Ignis returned carrying the four bowls on a tray and handed them out to everyone with Noctis's bowl being last. As Ignis handed the bowl to Noctis, he held out his free hand and Noctis nodded giving the man his notepad back. "So he maintained the lead Noct?"

Noctis began blowing on a steaming spoonful of stew, "Couldn't you tell from Prompto's cheers?" He ate the spoonful savoring the taste and silently praised himself, "That black chocobo Volg is in the lead."

Ignis nodded and took a spoonful of his stew, "As I predicted."

Gladiolus cheered, "That's right! Almost to the finish line Volg!"

The black chocobo on the screen crossed the finish line receiving cheers from Gladiolus and cries from Prompto. "That'll be 100 gil Prompto." Gladiolus said holding out his hand.

"I'm changing the channel!" Prompto said with frustration as he reached for the remote with one hand and dug for 100 gil in his pocket with the other. "Anyways… this is some awesome stew Noct!" he said as he took a spoonful of meat and vegetables.

Gladiolus burped in agreement, "Sure is, like always. It's just what we needed after today."

"Indeed." Ignis replied in a satisfied tone.

A small smile appeared on Noctis's face, "Thanks, I'm glad you all like it."

Prompto gulped down the last remaining bits of stew in one go before raising his bowl, "More please!" He said greedily looking up at Noctis with a grin.

Noctis scoffed, "You can get it yourself."

Prompto whined, "Aughhh… fine then." He slowly rose from his seat on the couch next to Gladiolus and headed towards the kitchen. Gladiolus took the opportunity to rest his feet on Prompto's spot.

Ignis shook his head, "You know he won't like that."

Gladiolus nodded nonchalantly and placed his hands behind his head relaxing himself, "I'll just keep the seat warm…" he grinned, "for the rest of the evening while he goes and finds another place to sit."

Noctis chuckled and stared into the contents of his bowl poking at the food with his spoon. Without realizing it he found himself trying to form letters with the meat and vegetables. The prince was now entirely focused and hadn't realized that Prompto was standing right in front of him.

Prompto took in a deep breath before speaking in a loud voice, "SOOOOOO," Noctis jumped and looked up to find Prompto staring at his stew, "What are you doing with your stew there Noct?"

Noctis looked away wiping away all emotion from his face, "Nothing." He stirred the food around until the letters were unreadable, though Prompto had already seen.

Prompto paced back and forth taking bites of his food, "Letter L huh? I wonder what that could stand for, any guesses guys?" Prompto said sarcastically. "Like… listen… lesson…" Prompto began listing words that began with the letter "L" earning an unamused look from Noctis.

The blonde continued, "Looks… loves… light… Lightning…?" Noctis flinched at the sound of her name and Prompto grinned. He outstretched his arms yelled out, "We have a win- Hey! Get off my seat Gladiolus!" He had barely noticed the man taking up the whole couch.

"Not going to happen, anyways, you were saying something Prompto?" Gladiolus said as he stretched his arms and legs on the couch emphasizing that the man wasn't leaving the spot anytime soon.

Prompto grumbled to himself and pulled out a chair and sat down. He looked at Noctis with a curious expression, "So Noct, she's been on your mind?

Noctis turned his attention to the television trying to avoid the question knowing what his friends would assume, but Prompto was persistent. "You like h-"

"No I don't." Noctis said swiftly interrupting Prompto midsentence.

Prompto finished his second helping of stew and sighed, "You and Ignis need to be more honest with your feelings." Ignis glared at Prompto.

Noctis glared as well, "I don't like her, she is just an opponent. An opponent I must defeat, period. Nothing more." Noctis said ending the conversation. He finished his bowl of stew quickly after and walked into the kitchen to wash his dishes. "I'm going to bed." He yelled so that his friends would hear him. The time it took to climb up the stairs to his room seemed to take forever. With each step a moment of his battle with Lightning replayed in his head. Noctis grew frustrated with himself, at defeat as well as a small faint pang in his heart when he suddenly thought about Lightning, a feeling the prince had not ever encountered.

**Paradigm Shift**

Lightning exited the bathroom drying her hair off with her towel. She had on an asymmetrical sweater which revealed one of her shoulders, shorts and bath slippers; casual attire that the soldier decided to wear, a nice change from her usual soldier attire. She went into her room leaving the door open knowing her sister would soon call her for dinner. She pressed a button on her wall opening the rooftop revealing a beautiful starry sky and sat on the edge of her bed admiring the beauty of the night sky as she dried her hair. She looked forward to looking at the stars at night; it calmed her nerves after a hard day's work.

"They shine bright…" Lightning murmured and fell back on her bed. It was quiet. Lightning continued to stare at the sky dreamily until a thought occurred to her. "Just like the color of his hair." She said softly and rose up. The image of Noctis entered her mind and she recalled the unique color of his hair. "It's just like the night sky." She said in realization. The battle with the prince then began to replay in her head and she recalled his words to her, "I'll win next time." Lightning smirked and finished drying her hair, "Heh, keep on dreaming prince."

Very soon after, the young woman heard her sister's voice call out to her from across the hall.

"Light! Dinner's ready!"

The sound of her sister's voice interrupted the quiet stillness of the night and brought life into the house. Lightning stood up and closed the rooftop before heading towards the kitchen. The aroma of her mother's cooking hit her once she entered the dining room. Lightning saw her sister stirring the contents of a pot which Lightning only assumed to be her mother's recipe for stew. She smiled, "You can cook that dish perfectly Serah," Lightning sat down at the table and turned on the tv, "it taste's exactly like mom's."

Serah hummed in appreciation and filled a bowl with stew before turning around and giving it to Lightning. "Thanks Light~" She said happily and returned to the pot in order to get a bowl for herself. "You know, you can cook it to if you set the time for it."

Lightning sighed, "I really wish I had the time but-"

"You're really busy being a soldier and everything." Serah finished the sentence for her.

Lightning nodded and ate a bit of the stew savoring the warmth and taste.

Serah laughed as she sat down at the table. "I remember the last time you tried to cook Light. You burned the pan."

Lightning groaned recalling the memory. She had attempted to recreate one of her mother's recipes but ended up setting the heat too high and burned the cookware even before she got to cooking. "Cooking is tougher than I thought it would be." She said in defeat.

Serah waved her finger a Lightning as if to scold her, "Practice helps! Just like being a soldier!"

Lightning smiled and nodded in agreement before continuing to eat.

Serah hummed as she recalled something she wanted to ask her sister, "So, Snow tells me something interesting happened today Light," she stared at her sister curiously, "Mind telling me what happened? Something about a prince?"

Lightning frowned upon hearing Snow's name and crossed her arms, "That idiot."

Serah tried defending her fiancée, "He's not that bad Light, just give him a chance."

"I don't know what you see in him Serah." Lightning said coldly. Serah was about to speak to defend Snow once again but Lightning cut her off. "Anyways… we met some transfer students today and yes…" she saw the spark in Serah's eyes, "…one of them is apparently a prince." Lightning went over to the refrigerator and took out a bottle of water and returned to her seat. "Noctis of Tenebrae."

Serah gasped and placed her hands over her mouth, "I've heard of him! He's the heir to the throne but seeing as he's still young, the nobles sent him away in order to learn more than what could be learned in books." Serah saw the Lightning's look of interest and continued, "Even though he's a prince I've heard he doesn't act like it at times and is pretty headstrong and prideful. He's apparently lost a fight before and hates to lose. And you fought him Light?!" She knew her sister to be headstrong as well, not to mention stubborn, but to challenge a prince seemed extreme.

Lightning simply nodded taking another bite of the stew, "I did, he was pretty good, but still needs experience." Lightning continued to eat thinking about what Serah had just told her and didn't notice her sister staring at her in disbelief.

"You… beat him?" Serah asked completely shocked. She clasped her hands together and gave her sister a big smile, "You really are amazing Light!"

Lightning smiled, knowing that her sister believed in her meant a lot to the young soldier. She was her reason that she worked hard every day. She made a promise to herself after her parents had passed, to take care of Serah; the two siblings protected one another.

Serah continued to speak with excitement in her voice when she returned to her meal, "My sis, beat a prince!" She couldn't contain herself and bombarded her sister with questions, "Did he act like a snobbish aristocrat? Was he mean or nice? What was it like fighting him? Do you two get along? You're both stubborn so did you to connect and find something in common that way?"

Lightning laughed and began answering Serah's questions remembering all of them in consecutive order and stuck out her fingers in order to keep track of the ones she answered, "He didn't act snobbish, none of the transfers did thank goodness, else I would have needed to teach them all a lesson." Serah laughed at Lightning's side comment.

"All of them were acquainted with one another. Considering how we only got to know one another for a short time on the battlefield, I can't really make an accurate judgment of his character, so I can't say if he's 'nice.'" Serah nodded understanding Lightning's reasoning.

"As for fighting him…" Lightning paused and seemed lost in thought which peaked Serah's curiosity.

"As for fighting him…?" Serah repeated Lightning's words snapping the soldier out of her trance as if she was under a spell.

"Ah, right… I guess you can say it was interesting." Lightning closed her eyes visualizing the battle, "I haven't had an opponent like that in a while."

Serah smiled and rested her head on her arms as she stared at the content look on her sister's face. "Sounds like you had some fun fighting him Light."

Lightning was at a loss for words upon hearing her sister's analysis. '_Did I really have fun?_' Lightning asked herself. She looked at Serah and saw her grinning.

"So what about my final question Light?" Serah drummed her fingers on the table. "Did you two get along? Was there a connection?"

Lightning crossed her arms as well as one leg over the other and turned her attention to the tv. "Why is it that I get the feeling you asked the other questions just to set me up for this one?" Lightning asked suspiciously and turned towards her sister again.

Serah smiled and her eyes wandered around the room avoiding Lightning's gaze, "You're overthinking things Light." She looked out of the corner of her eyes and saw Lightning continuing to stare at her suspiciously. Serah acted innocent, "So Light, my question~?"

Lightning quickly finished the rest of her food and rose from her seat before looking Serah in the eyes, "No connection whatsoever." She said bluntly.

Serah pouted when she heard Lightning's response, "Are you sure?" She asked wanting to change her sister's answer.

Lightning walked over to the sink and turned the faucet on in order to wash her dishes. "I'm sure." She said without faltering.

After she finished cleaning the dishes she thanked a disappointed looking Serah for dinner and headed to her room. She reached her door, entered her room and fell on her bed. The young soldier kicked off her slippers and stretched her arms and legs while lying on the bed. After relaxing her body she stared up at the ceiling and an image of Noctis appeared once again. She held up a clenched fist above her face for a moment and then unclenched and turned her hand so that she was looking at her palm. "No connection…" she hesitated for a moment and put her hand down, "…whatsoever." With the one word escaping her lips Lightning turned on her side, closed her eyes, cleared her mind and slowly fell asleep.

**End Chapter**

Thank you everyone for the reviews on the last chapter! I apologize that this one is pretty short, but the next one will be longer! Many thanks to all of you and more chapters to come!


	5. Focus

Disclaimer: The wonderful multiverse that is Final Fantasy does not belong to me.

**Chapter 5: Focus**

Noctis found himself on his knees, covered in bruises in the middle of an arena. His breathing had grown erratic and he was slowly losing consciousness. He turned his head and saw his sword lying motionless on the ground several meters away from him. He reached out for it with his trembling hand, but froze when a voice spoke out to him.

"You're attempts are futile. All you have become is a stubborn and arrogant prince. Everyone has seen it now, and your defeat shows for it." Noctis gritted his teeth and slowly looked up to see a man with his back towards him, a greatsword clenched in his hand; in contrast to the prince, the man looked unharmed.

Noctis slowly attempted to stand up; such a simple task for the man became a huge struggle. His legs felt like there were several weights strapped on to them, preventing him from standing up. He winced as he felt a surge of pain run through his legs and fell back down to his knees. He looked up to see the man walking away and Noctis punched the ground enduring the pain he had caused himself and glared at the man, "I'm not done… not yet!" He roared at the mysterious man causing him to turn around.

The man thrust his sword on the ground cracking the surface of the area it struck and glared at the prince. "As you are now, you haven't a chance." The man said coldly.

Noctis shook his head in frustration, "I can still fight! I'll defeat you!" The prince made the effort to stand once again, feeling his legs ache in protest, begging him to stay down. Noctis endured the stinging pain and slowly rose up to his feet. He was breathing heavily and his sight was beginning to blur. He staggered over to his sword and took the weapon in hand. He turned to face his opponent and saw the man shaking his head in disappointment.

"Pathetic. You are like a child."

"Shut up!" Noctis yelled out in fury and made his best attempt to run at the man. Noctis swung his sword and saw the man make no attempt to defend; rather, he went on the offensive and swung his sword as well. In one clean stroke, the man had sliced Noctis's sword in two leaving the prince staring at the broken weapon in shock. "H-How…?" the prince uttered in disbelief.

Suddenly, the man planted his feet firmly on the ground clenched his fist and before Noctis could react, landed a direct blow to Noctis's stomach knocking the wind out of him. Before he lost consciousness Noctis looked directly into the man's eyes… eyes filled with darkness. "I'll… get you back for this… 100 times payback…"

"Hmph… I await the day you can follow through with those words."

*WARK WARK WARK!*

Noctis opened his eyes and heard the sound of the chocobo alarm clock. Rather than turning the clock off he simply ignored the sound and placed a hand on his forehead, he felt sweat. "Why am I recalling that memory now?" The man asked himself silently.

Noctis shook his head and got up from his bed and walked towards his dresser. He crouched down, opened up the bottom drawer and stared at a black box. Taking a deep breath, Noctis removed the lid and stared down at a broken sword; a reminder of his past mistakes. The prince sighed, put the lid back on the box and closed the drawer. "I suppose… I still make the same mistakes."

Noctis walked over the window and spread open the curtains revealing a sky obscured by gray clouds. He rested his arms on the window pane and sighed, his warm breath fogging the glass of the window. Without realizing it, he had begun to draw out the letters of Lightning's name on the window with his finger; as soon as Noctis had drawn the letter 't' he stopped and stared at the window. He quickly wiped the letters off with his sleeve and ruffled his hair.

"What's wrong with me?!" The prince muttered to himself in frustration. "Why is it that back then, I felt such humiliation and pain when I lost, but to her…" Noctis looked at the palms of his hands and sighed, "…I felt somewhat… satisfied."

He walked into the restroom and decided to take a shower in order to clear his thoughts. He turned the shower head on and waited for the water to warm up. "She's just someone that I have to defeat in battle to regain my pride; to feel completely satisfied… right?" Noctis stepped into the shower and relaxed as he felt the warm droplets hit him. He closed his eyes and an image of the female soldier appeared in his head, along with another faint pang in his heart. Noctis placed one hand over his chest as if to stop the feeling, but it was futile. Whenever he thought of her, something in him felt incomplete.

A few minutes into his shower Noctis heard someone bang on the door.

"Hey Noct! Leave some hot water for the rest of us alright?" It was Prompto's voice.

Noctis disliked when someone disrupted him when he was taking a warm shower on a cold day, but nevertheless he acknowledged his friends wishes and hastily finished his shower. He wrapped one towel around his waist and threw one over his head and went to his room. After shutting his bedroom door, Noctis quickly dried himself off and dressed up in his uniform. He grabbed his bag and exited his bedroom locking the door behind him. He headed towards the stairs and saw that his friends weren't dressed in their uniforms yet.

Noctis was dumbfounded, "Why aren't you all ready yet?" Noctis asked as he took out his phone in order to check the time.

Prompto, Ignis and Gladiolus exchanged looks before turning their attention back to Noctis. Gladiolus spoke first, "Noct, class doesn't start for another hour and a half."

Sure enough when Noctis checked his phone, he was an hour and a half ahead of time. He had completely forgotten what time it was since he had ignored the alarm clock. "I umm…"

Prompto yawned and walked over to Noctis and threw an arm over his shoulder, "Bad dream Noct? Good dream? Thinking about _her_?" Prompto emphasized the last word in a teasing manner.

Noctis coughed and cleared his throat before brushing Prompto's arm off. He went to the key rack and tossed the keys at Ignis who caught them and stared at Noctis with a questioning look on his face. "Ignis, can you take me to the Academy? I'll get some early training done, after dropping me off you can go back for Prompto and Gladiolus." The prince clarified.

Ignis covered his mouth with one hand as he let out a small yawn and nodded. The man adjusted his glasses and turned his attention to Prompto and Gladiolus who had suddenly began wrestling on the floor. "Be ready in your uniforms when I get back you two, then we can leave right after."

Noctis nodded and began walking to the front door, "There's some leftover stew in the fridge guys, just heat it up."

Prompto and Gladiolus ceased wrestling and made a dash for the fridge which made Noctis laugh.

Ignis smiled and unlocked the doors of the car, "Let's go Noct."

Noctis nodded and entered the car after telling Gladiolus to lock the door. Ignis set the car in reverse and began to back out of the driveway when Noctis saw Gladiolus and Prompto standing by the door with a bowl of food which he could only think to be the leftover stew. They gave Noctis a thumbs up, "Train hard Noct!" They yelled in unison and Noctis smiled giving them both a thumbs up.

**Paradigm Shift**

Noctis found the Academy to be a peaceful place before class hours; the halls were quiet and calm. Noctis wandered around the halls aimlessly trying to look for the training room. He was told about it on the first day but he was fixated on Lightning to recall much of anything else. Noctis turned several corners and rubbed his temples in frustration, "I'm pretty sure I'm walking in circles."

After walking around for a few more minutes the prince happened upon a spark of hope – a class directory. The prince placed his finger on the map and traced out a route to the training room. He arrived at the front door of the room in a matter of minutes and he scolded himself when realizing it was so simple to get to. "What's done is done… " the prince said with a sigh.

Noctis took his ID card out from his pocket and swiped it through the scanner; he heard several beeps and finally a click acknowledging his identification and the doors opened welcoming him into the room.

Noctis slipped his ID card back in his pocket as he walked into the room and was suddenly surprised when the quiet peace of the Academy was interrupted by the sounds of a punching bag being hit. Someone else was in the training room. Noctis stared wide eyed at Lightning who was knocking the punching bag from side to side with a flurry of kicks.

"Well, I have to admit, I didn't expect to see you here this early in the morning." Lightning said and stopped her workout. She grabbed her towel from a bench and wiped her sweat away after which she sat down and opened up a water bottle. She drank a bit from the bottle and sighed before turning her attention back to Noctis. "What's the matter?"

Noctis realized that she was speaking to him and he cleared his throat, "I woke up early and decided to come here for some training." He noticed Lightning's attire and saw that she had removed her GC jacket leaving her in a zip up turtleneck which revealed her naval. Noctis felt his face getting warm as he stared; aside from her unique personality he also found her looks very appealing.

Lightning tilted her head off the side in slight confusion, "What are you staring at?" She asked curiously.

Noctis shook his head in embarrassment, "N-Nothing." He said quickly and turned around banishing the warm feelings he felt. He walked over to another bench and began to remove his jacket and cap.

Lightning shrugged and walked over to the punching bag once again and resumed her training.

Noctis decided to walk around the training room in order to survey all the equipment in order to find something suited to him for some training. Out of the corner of his eye he watched Lightning; he was amazed at the amount of power she had. She had a slender figure, yet she was able to inflict surmountable amounts of damage to her target judging from the condition of the punching bag and from their battle.

The prince diverted his attention from the female soldier and saw a summon portal. He eyed it curiously before walking towards the pedestal holding an informational guide. "Used to fight Peacekeepers, difficulty can be adjusted." Noctis read aloud. He pressed the button on the guide which read "datalog" and a bestiary of Peacekeepers came up. He was amazed at the amount of Peacekeepers listed in the datalog, "Impressive." The prince muttered under his breath.

"They're based on the information of wild monsters we encounter out in the field."

Noctis jumped to hear the sound of Lightning's voice. He turned around and saw the female soldier standing behind him with her arms crossed. "It's very impressive." He told her. "It even covers some of the monsters found in Tenebrae."

Lightning walked up beside him and pressed several buttons on the datalog. "It covers monsters from around the world, not just there; but it is incomplete." She said while scanning the information.

Noctis nodded in agreement, "You're right. It doesn't have the information on the species of behemoth that rampaged Tenebrae a while back." He said as he recalled the memory of fighting the savage beast with his friends.

Lightning looked shocked, "Different species of behemoth?! The one that the media said was just a bit smaller than an adamanchelid?" She pulled up the information of the Pulse oretoise on the datalog.

Noctis nodded his head once again, "Even though we defeated it, scientists have yet to determine what kind of behemoth it is.

Lightning smirked, "I'm pretty impressed that you managed to fight such a thing prince." She said teasingly.

Noctis chuckled, "I've fought harder Ms. Star Soldier." He gave her a small smile, "I'm pretty sure if you were there we would have had an easier time."

Lightning blushed a bit and turned her head to hide her slight embarrassment. She received praise from others before but for some reason, it felt really nice to hear it from Noctis. '_Get a hold of yourself Lightning, this is your chance to get some training done, don't let some person distract you from your routine._' She told herself in her head.

Lightning walked over to an armory similar to the ones accessible during the evaluations and picked out a sword, gun and grav-con unit, then tossed similar weapons at the prince.

He caught them and surveyed each weapon. "I don't really use firearms, Prompto is the one with-"

Lightning interrupted him as she holstered her weapons, "Well now would be a good time to learn don't you think?"

Noctis recalled his battle with her and recalled her skill in the three weapons. "I suppose so," Noctis said as he holstered his weapons as well, "learning how to use a grav-con unit can help as well."

Lightning nodded, "Utilizing one is especially useful when dealing with multiple opponents," she said as she fitted her glove, "though it takes some time to get used to."

Noctis stood up proudly after fitting his glove, "I'm sure I'll be able to get it down in no time flat."

Lightning scoffed, "Don't get too full of yourself." She said as if scolding a child.

Noctis became slightly annoyed at the tone of her voice and raised his voice, "I can handle it." He said without any hesitation.

Lightning raised her eyebrow and stared daggers at the prince, "Let's see you prove it then." She set the datalog back on the main menu which confused Noctis.

"I thought we were-"

"We'll run an obstacle course first before using the summon portal. I want to see if you can back up that confidence." Lightning said and directed Noctis to stand on a circular platform.

Noctis huffed and walked to the designated area planting his feet firmly on the platform. Lightning pressed several buttons on a wall panel and all of a sudden the platform beneath Noctis's feet began to rumble. He didn't expect such a surprise and almost lost his balance as the platform rose up and became a tall pillar.

Noctis blinked several times as if trying to wake himself up from a dream. All the technological features of Bodhum still shocked him from time to time as they were somewhat different from society in Tenebrae. In Tenebrae, cars roamed the streets, whereas in Bodhum airbikes flew overhead.

"What's with that look on your face?"

Noctis jolted up and quickly turned around to see Lightning behind him with an amused look on her face.

"You seemed surprised." She said and smirked at him.

Noctis crossed his arms, yawned and closed his eyes pretending as if it were nothing special, "It's nothing." He said plainly as he turned around.

Lightning uttered a small laugh to Noctis's surprise, "Sure, whatever." She tapped him on the shoulder, "let's get started; oh and if you were wondering, I did get up here with the grav-con unit." She gently shoved Noctis on the chest silently telling him to move out of her way.

Noctis complied and walked off to the side of the platform and observed. Without a second of hesitation Lightning ran and leapt off the platform.

Noctis was shocked and ran after her jumping off the platform as well. He caught her in midair wrapping his arms around her intending to use his body to protect her from the impending impact.

Lightning was caught off guard but quickly snapped back to her senses, "What are you doing?!" She asked him as the plummeted to the ground.

"Are you crazy?! Did you lose your footing or something?!" He asked angrily.

Lightning sighed and snapped her fingers enveloping them in a blue electrical field. Both of them hit the ground but the grav-con unit's protective field absorbed the impact.

Noctis felt like a fool, _'Of course she had the grav-con unit, what were you thinking?' _

"How long do you intend on holding me?"

Noctis snapped out of his own thoughts and stared at a blushing, but annoyed looking Lightning, he hadn't realized he still had his arms around her. The prince turned a slight color of red as well and quickly backed away. "S-Sorry about that." He said apologetically.

Lightning dusted off her clothes, "Idiot… I had things under control." She felt her heart pounding for some reason and took a deep breath in order to relax herself. She then turned to Noctis, "Well considering how we both fell down, I suppose rather than cushioning a fall for the first exercise, you'll have to get back on top of the pillar." Lightning stood up straight and looked straight up at the ceiling. "I'll demonstrate."

Noctis stood off to the side and crossed his arms, observing the female soldier. He was still embarrassed from what had just happened.

"Pay attention." She told him noticing he wasn't completely focused.

"I-I am!" He said trying to believe his own lie.

"Hmph." Lightning turned her attention back to the ceiling, snapped her fingers and leapt up in the air seeming to levitate for a moment. She flipped so that the soles of her boots were facing the ceiling and propelled upwards landing on the ceiling as if it was the floor. Noctis stared in amazement. Lightning leapt off once more and landed on the platform. "Your turn!" She yelled at him from above.

Noctis nodded and took a deep breath. He immediately directed his focus on the ceiling and snapped his fingers mimicking what he had just seen Lightning do. He felt as if his body felt as light as a chocobo feather for a second and then felt him accelerate towards the ceiling. He quickly did a flip and landed on his feet.

Lightning gave him a small smile, "Pretty good, now try coming over here."

Noctis couldn't help but smile finally being praised by the strict soldier rather than being scolded for a change. He did as he was told and leapt off the ceiling towards the platform landing on his feet once again.

Lightning walked over to him, "I have to admit, I was betting that you wouldn't be able to do it."

Noctis stretched his arms and legs, "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous." He told her honestly. "Though I suppose it helped that you demonstrated first so… " He gave her a solemn smile, "…thanks for that."

Lightning wasn't expecting any thanks from the man seeing as how he was a proud prince. She was caught off guard when she heard his words and found his accompanying smile to be somewhat charming. She could feel her face get warm and she quickly turned around. _"What are you doing Lightning?! Snap out of it!" _She yelled in her head. "I-It was nothing." She quickly changed the subject, "Anyways, that's all for today, you can practice a bit more and try out the summon portal as well as other weapons another time." She said eyeing their unused weapons.

Noctis gave her a puzzled look, "Why can't we try now?"

Lightning pointed at the digital clock on the wall, class was about to start in 10 minutes. "We need to get a move on if we don't want to be late."

Noctis couldn't believe he lost track of time once again. He nodded at her and they both leapt off the pillar activating the grav-con unit to cushion their fall. Lightning was the first to pack up all her things and headed towards the door.

"I'll be going ahead." She said to him over her shoulder.

Noctis was barely fastening the buckles on his jacket when he heard her. "Alright then," he said as he finished fastening the last buckle, "And thanks once again Lightning. This exercise really helped me get over my overconfidence."

Lightning stopped walking after Noctis ended his sentence, "Call me Light." She said.

Noctis smiled back at her, "Oh? Is this special treatment?" He asked her playfully.

Lightning scoffed, "You wish Mr. Prince." She said and opened the door. She was about to leave when she heard the prince's voice behind her.

"Noct is fine." He told her. Noctis heard a her laugh a bit.

"See you in class then, Noct." Before the doors closed she turned around and Noctis saw her give him a small smile that made his heart skip a beat.

'_I think I'll come back here tomorrow morning as well.' _He thought to himself as he put on his cap. What turned out to be an ominous cloudy morning for the prince was turning out to be a pretty good day.

**End Chapter**

Xethear: Hello everyone, Xethear here! I would like to thank all of you who read the last chapter of "The Rose of the Night" and I apologize that this update took so long. Time management between school and what not is like casting a slow spell on my ATB gauge.

Lightning: Paradigm shift to Medic and cast Esuna.

Noctis: Overcome it with your power!

Xethear: Easy for both of you to say. At any rate, thank you once again and reviews are very much appreciated! They help a lot!


	6. Battle Results

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy, though I would like to live in their world.

Xethear: Hey again everyone! Before the start of the story I'd like to ask you all how you like the new cover for "The Rose of the Night." I couldn't help but smile when I saw it. Many thanks to *dorkynoodle on deviantart for letting me use her artwork!

Lightning: What are you doing in that picture Noctis?! I don't recall you ever doing that!

Noctis: I don't recall either! Some sort of time paradox possibly?! Though, that reaction is pretty nice Light.

Lightning: Shut up!

**Chapter 6: Battle Results**

Lightning traversed through the halls quickly in order to arrive to class on time; she had a clean record and she wasn't having any plans on ruining it anytime soon. She only had to turn a few more corners until reaching the front door when someone ran into her. The stranger stood his ground whereas Lightning staggered a bit but saved herself by doing a back flip. She looked up to see a tall man with his face concealed with a face mask and hood.

Lightning's swift evasive maneuver seemed to impress the stranger, "Impressive." He muttered through his mask.

Lightning stared at the man wondering why he was dressed in such attire. "You don't come here do you?" She said sarcastically as she stared at his dark eyes.

The man chuckled, "You are correct, I come from Eden Academy as a representative to discuss the end of the year Promotion Evaluation Battles."

Lightning nodded immediately understanding the situation "I see." She said as she thought about the event.

The Guardian Corp Promotion Evaluation Battles was one of the largest events Guardian Corp cadets take part in every year. Just like the evaluation battles, the battle royal paired cadets from all the various branches of Guardian Corp with similar abilities against one another and accumulate points in order to go up in rank. The battle royal is held in a city determined by commanding officers from the various branches and announced by one of the Academy branches. Lightning gave herself a personal goal of attaining the title of lieutenant that year in order to make more gil to support Serah as well as testing her own skills.

The man cleared his throat and took a small bow, "If you excuse me Ms. I'll be taking my leave." The man said and walked passed Lightning.

Lightning stared back at the man, something about him was ominous and she wondered whether or not all the cadets from Eden had such mysterious cadets this year. She quickly dismissed the thought remembering why she was rushing and ran to her classroom making it on time with several minutes to spare. She quickly opened the door to the classroom and was greeted with her friend's smiles.

Fang grinned, "Well, well, you're never usually this late Sunshine, what have you been up to~?" She said teasingly eyeing the only other empty seat in the classroom - Noctis's empty seat.

Lightning kept her cool with a steely expression; she sat down and began to unpack her things, "I've been doing the usual, training. I just had a surprising sparring partner…" she suddenly paused midsentence because she heard Vanille giggle and glared at the redhead who suddenly looked away and began whistling as if nothing had happened,"…and happened to bump into a representative cadet from Eden in the halls."

Vanille gasped and covered her mouth with her hands, "All the way from Eden?! I wonder why?" She asked curiously thinking about the far off city.

Hope jumped in his chair suddenly and hurriedly pulled out one of his research books scanning the table of contents before locating the page he wanted to read aloud to his friends. He cleared his throat, "This year Eden will be announcing where the upcoming GC Promotion Evaluation Battles will take place."

"So that's it eh?" Fang said casually lifting her feet onto her desk. "One thing's for sure, we'll take all of them down and rank up!"

Sazh was leaning against the wall silently watching all of the others and suddenly chuckled, "That's the spirit. And hey, this year I'm bringing Dajh to come watch." He said referring to his son.

Vanille squealed and jumped up, "Hooray! We'll get to show him around!" The young girl said enthusiastically.

Snow suddenly rose up and stretched his arms letting out a big yawn which annoyed Lightning. He rubbed his eyes with his arm before pounding his right fist into his left palm, "You can bet this year will be big!" He said loudly.

Hope stared at the man in disbelief, "You were awake?"

Snow grinned, "The hero is always alert!"

Lightning scoffed, "Where was that attitude when we got the results of our exams last year?"

Snow groaned and sunk into his seat, "You don't have to bring that up sis."

Lightning sighed drummed her fingers on her desk, "Remember what I did to your pencil Snow?" She asked with a grave tone.

Snow scratched his head in confusion before recalling Lightning snapping his pencil into two. "Oh yeah…" He said plainly, "…And I was about to beat my record."

Lightning nodded, "The next time you call me sis, I'm going after your airbike next." She said threateningly.

Snow almost fell back in his chair, "T-Take it easy si-" He stopped midsentence realizing he had almost risked the safety of his airbike if he had completed his sentence. "Take it easy Lightning." He said almost whining. "Without my airbike I can't take Serah out on a date." He whispered silently.

"What was that?" Lightning asked with the same threatening tone in her voice.

Snow held his hands up in defense, "I-I mean, without my airbike I can't go to buy some uhh plates?" He said trying to improvise.

Fang chuckled, "Nice save."

Lightning was about to snap at the blonde when the doors opened and Noctis walked in. He was fully dressed in his GC uniform and Lightning couldn't help but stare for a moment, not in anticipation to fight him, but because he looked appealing.

"Yo Noct! Over here!" Prompto called out to the man from his desk. The voice of Noctis's friend snapped Lightning out of her fantasy and she scolded herself one again for having a slight attraction to the prince.

'_Calm down Lightning.'_ She told herself in her mind. _'A little bit of class lecture, and training and you'll be feeling normal again.' _

Noctis gave Prompto, Ignis and Gladiolus a small wave before walking to his desk; along the way he met Lightning's gaze and gave her a small smile; she returned his smile much to their friend's surprise.

"Whoa, what happened while we were gone there Noct?" Prompto asked as Noctis sat down in his desk.

The young prince unpacked several pencils and a notebook laying them out neatly on his desk before speaking, "Nothing really, just a bit of training before class." He said without a trace of enthusiasm.

Gladiolus laughed, "A smile like that isn't just_ 'nothing'_ Noct."

Prompto agreed, "Yeah! You don't smile like that for anyone Noct! That's got to be… the first time we saw you smile like that!"

To everyone's surprise even Ignis agreed, "It's true Noct, it's been a while since we've seen you this happy."

Noctis opened his notebook and reviewed some of the notes he wrote and responded to his friends without taking his eyes off his notebook, "I admit I am somewhat satisfied, but trust me, the smile… " he hesitated for a moment – peaking his friend's curiosity – before shaking his head and continuing,"…doesn't mean anything."

The moment the prince ended his sentence Amodar walked inside the classroom and greeted all the cadets before starting his lecture on the different branches of Guardian Corps.

Noctis turned to a new page in his notebook in order to start the daily lecture notes but couldn't stop staring at the blank page as his halfhearted words replayed in his head. _'…the smile… doesn't mean anything.' _

The prince turned his head slightly and stole a glance at Lightning from the corner of his eyes; the female soldier was busy writing notes down. He noticed that the clouds in the sky had cleared up behind her revealing a beautiful blue sky. Noctis questioned why he wanted her to look at him at the moment but quickly abandoned the thought as he turned to his own notebook. He felt several pangs in his heart as he instinctively scribbled something down in his notebook before turning to yet another blank page.

**Paradigm Shift**

Lightning was surprised to find that time seemed to have flown by quickly after glancing at the clock. There was only an hour of class time left and they would be dismissed. Everyone was tense and she knew why, Amodar had yet to announce the battle results of the previous day's evaluation battles. All the cadets wanted to know how they did and which lieutenant's squad they would be assigned to. Their wishes were answered when Amodar finally concluded his lecture and let out one of his big hearty laughs.

I pulled up a screen at the front of the room and crossed his arms, "You all are probably on the edge of your seats wondering how you did right?"

All the cadets responded in unison, "Yes Lieutenant!"

Amodar smiled, "Well before that I have one more announcement!" The class groaned impatiently. "This year, cadets from the various branches of Cocoon will be staying here as a new part of the Promotion Battle Evaluation Program. Let's all get along with them!"

This was a surprise to some of the new cadets and even the veterans. In addition to seeing all the faces at Bodhum GC Academy, they were going to meet others. Noctis and Lightning both thought the same thing, more opportunities to enhance their skills for a rematch.

As soon as the cadets contained their excitement, Amodar pulled up a screen which displayed all of the cadets profile pictures. "I can give you all your exact results right now for the whole class to see or you can hear them in a private conference with me. Your choice cadets, just shout yes or no when I call your name!" Amodar said loudly so that everyone heard.

Some of the cadets murmured amongst one another, some afraid to let their results known to the rest of the class. The exceptions were Lightning, Noctis and their friends, along with several other courageous cadets.

Amodar eyed Noctis and his friends, "I'll address you four as a group seeing as how you know one another so well; would you all like to know your results now or in private?" He asked the four friends.

Noctis scoffed, Prompto and Gladiolus grinned and Ignis removed his glasses to clean the lens. "We'd like our results now." Noctis said speaking for his friends and for himself.

Amodar nodded and whistled in amazement as he pulled up their scores. He looked at Prompto who was lounging at his desk once again, "Well Prompto, you might not be good at focusing on lecture, but given firearms on the battlefield and you're not half bad. On the ranking scale of F, E, D, C, B, A and S, Lieutenant Valentine gave you an A!"

Many cadets gasped in amazement, Vanille squealed in excitement which embarrassed Prompto and even Fang was impressed.

"I suppose he isn't just another goof after all." Fang said shrewdly.

Lightning crossed her arms and stared at a laughing Prompto fist pounding his friends, "Lieutenant Valentine is somewhat strict. He rarely gives A's, hardly any of the instructors do to new cadets. He must be pretty skilled then." She said to her friends.

Vanille applauded for Prompto and waved at the blonde when he looked her way causing him to blush and scratch the back of his head in embarrassment.

Amodar cleared his throat, "Next is Gladiolus." He paused for a moment as he scanned the results and let out a big laugh, "Tenebrae must be some place, another A! Where do you guys train?" He said in wonder.

Gladiolus let out a big laugh that rivaled Amodar's, "We've been together for a while, lots of experiences." He said.

Amodar chuckled and continued and looked towards Ignis; the commanding officer crossed his arms, "Another A, why am I not surprised?"

Ignis scribbled some notes in his notebook and murmured, "Room for improvement."

Hope was baffled, "W-What kind of place is Tenebrae?" He said as he flipped through the contents of his notebook searching for notes on Tenebrae.

The unbelievable scores of the three cadets from Tenebrae even interested Snow, "We got A's as well, not including Lightning because we didn't hear her score yet, but these guys are something else being just transfers."

The class broke out into a series of whispers and side conversations as there were only two unannounced evaluation results left. Amodar soon relieved the class of the tense atmosphere when he spoke once again, "Now Noctis, before I continue, would you mind if I announce your score with the cadet you had your evaluation with?" He asked surprising Noctis.

The prince turned towards Lightning's direction and saw her crossing her arms; she had her eyes closed and a small smirk on her face. Noctis smiled and turned to Amodar once again, "I don't mind." He said giving Amodar the permission to display and announce the remaining scores.

The screen at the front of the class projected both Lightning and Noctis's profile images side by side along with a blank box below their picture soon to be filled with an evaluation letter. What occurred next astounded everyone; the room was filled with gasps as they saw Noctis's profile marked with a letter S, but everyone then became silent as they stared at Lightning's score in amazement, an SS rank.

The silence was broken when the sound of a person clapping filled the room. Everyone turned to see Noctis clapping and the class joined the prince until the clapping became a thunderous applause accompanied by whistles. The prince's friends looked at Noctis in amazement finding it rare for him to applaud anyone.

Noctis turned to Lightning who was staring at him in disbelief never expecting him to applaud her for getting a higher score than him. He smiled at her and she saw him open his mouth to tell her something. Despite his voice being drowned by the applause she smiled back at him knowing what he said.

"Congratulations."

**Paradigm Shift**

By the time Noctis and his friends returned to their house the sun had already set. The four decided to stop by a restaurant in order to eat a big meal celebrating their success in their evaluations. After exiting and locking the car the four entered the house and headed straight for the living room. It was a habit for them to go there straight away after returning home and turn on the tv. They each found a place to sit and once all of them were comfortable they began to watch the chocobo racing channel once again.

Noctis sat back in his chair and yawned as he pulled his phone out to check what time it was. It was then Prompto suddenly spoke, "So Noct, mind telling us now?" The blonde asked the prince curiously.

Noctis responded without turning away from the television, "What are you talking about?" He asked oblivious to the question.

Gladiolus clarified for the blonde, "Prompto means you were smiling a lot today Noct, not to mention an applause for someone? That Lightning must have a real effect on you right?"

Noctis nearly fell back in his chair after hearing Gladiolus's clarification, "Is it that strange for me to smile so much?" He said obviously embarrassed.

Ignis nodded, "I admit it as well Noct, we really haven't seen you this happy in a while."

Noctis stood up quickly and headed towards the staircase, "It must be you guys' imagination." He said over his shoulder and quickly dashed up the stairs.

The three friends left in the living room laughed together and continued to watch the chocobos race.

"This must be a foreign feeling for him." Ignis said softly.

Prompto laughed, "Yeah, definitely a first for him." The blonde grinned, "A first for you too huh Ignis?"

"Be quiet." The brown haired man snapped back.

Gladiolus laughed, "Well we know things will be really interesting this year."

Noctis shut his bedroom door behind him and pulled his notebook out from his bag and sat on his bed. He figured studying his notes would get his mind off what his friends had just told him. _'Did my emotions show that much?' _The prince shook his head and opened up his notebook and reviewed his notes. Just when he thought he was able to get his emotions under control he noticed the small note he scribbled earlier on one page. He fell back on his bed and closed his eyes as he whispered it softly letting his heart speak for him only for a second.

"Her eyes rival the beauty of the sky itself."

**Paradigm Shift**

Lightning fell back on her bed and stared at the stars once again. Ever since Noctis congratulated her in the afternoon for her success her heart would race when she thought of him. She placed one hand over her chest and one hand over her head. Her thoughts and emotions were at war with one another. _'This isn't like me, I need to stay strong, no distractions, it'll affect my combat performance…' _She said to herself silently in her mind. She let her hands rest at her sides as she stared dreamily at the star splashed night sky.

After several minutes she rose up and walked to the button on her wall. After pressing the button the roof closed shrouding her room in subtle darkness. Lightning returned to her bed and fell back plopping her head on her pillow. "I'll get more training done tomorrow, guaranteed." She told herself before closing her eyes.

**End Chapter **

Xethear: Sorry for taking a while on this chapter everyone. I already have future chapters planned for our two conflicted protagonists so look forward to them! Thank you all once again for reading these chapters and waiting patiently for the updates!


	7. Tension in the Air

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy is awesome and does not belong to me.

Xethear: Xethear: Hello everyone! I'd like to apologize for the late update on the story. School (and dare I say some video games) have been occupying my time. Nevertheless the story shall continue!

**Chapter 7: Tension in the Air**

Lightning snapped her fingers invoking the familiar electrical field of the grav-con unit and leapt across the walls of the training room at an amazing pace. Noctis watched the young soldier in awe and observed each one of her movements; her footwork was precise and accurate never missing a beat. Lightning finished by flipping down from the ceiling in front of the prince; she dusted her uniform off and heard him clapping.

Noctis had a smile on his face and walked up to her, "That was amazing Light." He told her after he finished applauding.

Lightning scoffed, "It wasn't much. Anyways it's your turn now." She said as she walked over to a bench, sat down and crossed one leg over the other.

Noctis nodded and took a deep breath before turning his attention away from the female soldier to his hands. He quickly snapped his fingers and the electrical field surrounded him. The prince leapt off the ground and headed straight for a wall. He flipped so that the soles of his boots were parallel to the wall and landed without a problem. The prince repeated the process and leapt off to the opposite wall landing without a casualty yet again.

Lightning watched and found that the prince was doing very well. She was impressed that he was able to mimic some of her moves quickly. _'I'll have to develop new techniques for the next time we fight.' _She told herself.

Noctis quickly finished by doing a flip and turned to face Lightning. "How was that?" He asked her his voice filled with confidence.

Lightning smirked, "Not bad, though the landing could use more work." She punched him lightly on the shoulder, "I'm impressed though."

A light blush appeared on Noctis's face due to Lightning's warm gesture and compliment and he smiled, "I couldn't have done it without you." He told her sincerely. "Thanks for today Light."

Lightning felt her heart skip a beat and quickly turned around in embarrassment. She tried to calm down but his smile was stuck in her head, "Y-Yeah, anyways class is about to start so I'll be going first." She quickly headed towards the door, her ID card in her hand ready to swipe through the scanner.

Noctis quickly ran after her, "Light wait!" He shouted and gently grabbed her wrist.

Lightning turned around and Noctis's blush deepened as he saw the young soldier in front of him blushing as well.

"W-What are you looking at?" Lightning said, clearly embarrassed. It was unlike her to lose her composure so fast and she mentally punched herself for it. _'This never happened before!' _She told herself in her head. _'Why is it when I'm with him...'_

Lightning's conflicted thoughts and feelings were interrupted when she felt her back against the wall and felt Noctis's hand over hers. She looked up to see the prince's blushing face and was stunned.

Noctis opened his mouth to speak but his words were shaky, "L-Light I…" The proud prince couldn't seem to meet the soldiers gaze for a moment, but after a few seconds, he looked directly into her eyes. He took in her beauty for a moment as if he was completely mesmerized and captivated and his face became the same shade as the feathers of a red chocobo. Lightning stared wide eyed as Noctis closed his eyes and slowly brought his face closer to hers until their lips were only inches apart.

Lightning's heart was thumping against her chest and her face burning up; she closed her eyes and felt his warm breath touch her lips. "Noct…" She placed her free hand against his chest as if to push him away, but hesitated as she felt his heart beat in unison with hers and instead clutched the fabric of his shirt and pulled him closer until…

*BEEP BEEP BEEP*

Lightning's eyes slowly opened and she turned her head towards her alarm clock. The monotonous sound filled the room, the constant beeping was tiring to hear, but it was enough to wake the soldier up whenever she needed to wake up early. She got up and rubbed her eyes with her arm. She then jolted up quickly recalling the dream she had and placed a cold hand over her lips; they were warm. She fell back on her bed and stared at the ceiling dreamily for a moment before remembering she had to get ready if she wanted to train. The soldier slipped her bath slippers on her feet, and walked over to her mirror. She saw a faint clear blush on her face and felt her forehead and face. _'A-Am I sick or something?_' The young soldier took a deep breath before grabbing her GC uniform in her closet and headed to the restroom. After quickly undressing the young woman stepped into the shower and flinched as cold beads of water hit her bare body, she quickly adjusted the temperature of the water and sighed as warm comforting droplets replaced the bitter cold.

Lightning found it difficult to shake off the feelings which arose within her from the events which occurred the previous day; recalling the prince congratulating her had an effect on her she couldn't completely grasp. She punched the wall in frustration ignoring the slight pain she inflicted on herself and wondered whether or not she was just being stubborn. She vividly recalled the details of her dream and placed a hand on her face feeling her temperature rise. _'I'm being stupid.'_

She stood still for a moment and watched as steam began to form from the water temperature rising, fogging up the entire room. Lightning set her thoughts aside once again, turned the showerhead off, stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel from the towel rack. After drying her body off she quickly dressed in her GC uniform and threw the towel over her head in order to dry her wet hair. She began to walk to her living room working the towel with her hands in order to soak up the water when she was greeted by Serah.

"Morning Light! Did you sleep well?" Serah asked her sister with a cheery tone. The young Farron was at the stove preparing breakfast for her sister as well as herself.

Lightning ruffled her hair with the towel as a means to quickly dry her wet locks and yawned, "I suppose. I really need to change that alarm clock sometime." She told her sister and cringed recalling the device's monotonous sound. She let the towel fall around her shoulders and leaned over the dining table in order to see what her sister was cooking.

Serah laughed and tilted the pan for her sister to see, "Pancakes with cherry clusters and sliced striped apples~"

Lightning smiled as she inhaled the sweet aroma of the food, "It smells great Serah." She said complimenting her sister's cooking skills yet again.

Serah grinned at her sister, "Thanks Light!" She began humming a tune as she finished cooking the pancakes and suddenly realized she forgot to set plates out. "Hey Light can you-" Serah stopped when she heard the clinking of plates and turned to see her sister holding one in each hand.

"Got them." Lightning said and smiled at her sister.

Serah laughed and placed a pancake on each plate along with the fruit she had sliced beforehand and walked over to the dining table with her sister.

Lightning sliced a piece of the pancake with her knife and took a bite of it along with some fruit and was amazed at how well the flavors accompanied one another. "I'll need to practice cooking again one day."

Serah nodded and encouraged her sister, "I know you can do it if you put your mind to it Light!" She paused and a playful smile appeared on her face as she recalled something, "Hey Light?"

"Hmm?" Lightning responded after swallowing another bite of pancake. She saw her sister's smile and quickly became suspicious of what her sister was going to tell her.

Serah poked her cherry cluster around her plate and looked up at her sister, "Did you know that you sometimes talk in your sleep Light?"

Lightning didn't know whether to believe her sisters words, "You're joking right?" She asked nervously. Before receiving her sister's answer, she pondered the possibility of whether it was true and a thought hit her, what were the kinds of things she said in her sleep?

Serah crossed her arms and nodded, "It surprised me too! But I walked in your room last night because you forgot to close your door and sure enough I heard you talking." Serah said and took another bite of her pancake.

Lightning flinched recalling her dream and stared at her plate of food before speaking again, "W-What did I say?" She said and looked up, horrified to see a mischievous grin on her sister's face.

Serah wrapped her arms around herself as if she was hugging herself and closed her eyes trying to mimic a sleeping Lightning, "N-Noct, don't…" Serah said playfully; the young Farron opened one eye and saw her sister with an angry expression on her face but nevertheless, blushing as well.

"Don't lie Serah." Lightning said slightly raising her voice.

Serah held up her hands in defense, "Light, your blushinggg~"

"W-What?" Lightning said in disbelief and covered her face with her hand.

Serah laughed at her sister's reaction and smiled, "Don't do that Light, you look really pretty!" She told her sister.

Lightning found it hard to believe how many times she was embarrassed in the past several days, "B-Be quiet Serah," She avoided her sister's gaze, "Did I really say that?"

"Something like that~" Serah said playfully.

Lightning's blush was still on her face and she stared at her sister unamused. "That's not funny."

"O-Okay, it wasn't exactly like that Light, but I did hear you say Noct!" Serah confessed. "So what were you dreaming about?"

Lightning quickly finished her breakfast and headed towards the door, "It's nothing." She said relieved to find out she didn't say anything too grave in her sleep.

Serah pouted, "Hey, you can't do that Light, please tell!" She pleaded to her sister and clapped her hands together, but Lightning was already out the door. Serah crossed her arms and huffed turning her attention to the tv. A gentle laugh escaped her lips and she smiled, "Be good to my sister Noct."

**Paradigm Shift**

The halls of the Academy were peaceful and quiet, just as they were before class hours; Lightning was expecting to be alone in the training room but quickly found out someone was already there before her when the door opened and the sounds of a training firearm being used was heard. Lightning watched as Noctis ran across the room firing several shots at a wave of mechanical looking panthers.

"Pantherons huh?" Lightning murmured classifying the Peacekeeper. She silently watched the man train observing the remains of defeated Pantherons and other Peacekeepers lying around the room.

Noctis was occupied battling the swarm of Pantherons that he didn't notice Lightning walk in the room. The prince fired a barrage of rounds at the Pantherons taking half of the swarm down before running out of ammo. "Tch…" The prince stared at the remaining opponents and tossed his empty firearm away and drew his sword. With a single clean stroke he dispatched each one of the remaining Pantherons easily and swiftly.

Noctis sheathed his sword and sighed before wiping the sweat off his brow; the prince was still oblivious to Lightning's presence which surprised her.

Noctis was lost in thought as he evaluated his own performance, but was suddenly brought back to reality when Lightning made her presence known.

"That was pretty good." Lightning was smiling in approval when Noctis turned to her, the prince looked stunned.

He surveyed the area and saw no one else in the room, "How long have you been there?" Noctis asked.

Lightning couldn't believe her ears, _'Was he really that oblivious?'_

Lightning walked over to the bench she usually sat at and unpacked her training equipment, "Long enough to know that you've had some practice with firearms." She explained to him.

Noctis scratched the back of his head, "I know we were supposed to practice with them, but I became a bit impatient."

Lightning let out a small chuckle and removed her GC jcaket, "Understandable, but your technique is a bit erratic." She said criticizing him.

Noctis wasn't very fond of criticism as he enjoyed doing things his own way, but when it came to Lightning he decided to listen. "I admit I fired some rounds without planning." He confessed to her honestly.

Lightning raised her eyebrow, "_Some?"_ She asked him emphasizing the word as she eyed all of the ammo Noctis had used in his training. "It looks like you used enough ammo fit for ten cadets." She said harshly.

Noctis flinched at the tone of her voice and a bitter expression appeared on his face, "I'll make more time to practice." He said in a frustrated tone.

Lightning walked away from the bench and took a firearm from the armory and then approached the summon gate. She pressed several buttons and searched for a fitting opponent in the bestiary before speaking, "I understand that it was your first try, but in GC each one of your moves counts, make ever slash and shot count." She said as if she was an actual instructor.

Noctis sat down on the bench where Lightning's equipment was set up and crossed his arms ready to watch Lightning's demonstration.

Right on cue the soldier activated the summon gate which materialized several of the fly-like monsters Prompto fought in his evaluation battle. "These are vespids." Lightning explained to Noctis.

Noctis observed the mechanical Peacekeeper's erratic movements as they flew around the room and found it difficult as he tried to predict where they would fly to next.

Lightning held up her gun with one arm and carefully pinpointed the location of each vespid. "Sometime you'll fight enemies you find a sword can't easily reach and when it comes to that…" Lightning swiftly reacted as if it was instinct and fired one shot for each vespid. All rounds made their mark and the mechanical remains fell to the floor.

Noctis couldn't believe how much one person was able to impress him in the span of several days. He had never encountered a warrior much like Lightning, not even in Tenebrae.

Lightning faced Noctis and placed her free hand on her hips, "I take your silence as a compliment." She said to the stunned prince.

Noctis shook his head as if he woke up from being hypnotized, "O-Oh, right, sorry I was just a bit stunned as all." Noctis stared at the mechanical remains of the vespids scattered around the ground, "I've never seen such great marksmanship aside from Prompto."

Lightning sat down next to Noctis and reached for her water bottle, "I've been meaning to ask, you and your friends seem to be more than meets the eye."

Noctis chuckled, "I can say the same about you and your friends." He looked at Lightning and watched as she drank her water. He noticed a drop of water slide down the corner of her mouth to her neck. He blushed and turned away quickly when Lightning glanced at him from the corner of her eyes in order to avoid being caught staring.

Lightning why the prince looked away so suddenly but shrugged and put the cap back on her water bottle. "Very little incoming cadets score as high as you four on the evaluation battle." She saw Noctis sit up straight and she smiled knowing he felt a swell of pride, "And you're the first incoming cadet I've seen with an S rank."

Noctis cleared his throat in order to hide his embarrassment from her praise and maintain his cool, "T-Thanks. But of course you're the star cadet who sets the example for the others. All the things you can do are impressive."

Lightning laughed nervously, "Everyone puts me in such high regard, but everyone has flaws."

Noctis raised an eyebrow and leaned closer to Lightning, "Oh~? And what's your flaw Light?" He said curiously as a small smile appeared on his face.

Lightning blushed hearing the prince call her Light and turned her head away from Noctis, "Cooking…" She said softly.

Noctis blinked several times wondering if he heard her right, "Cooking?" He repeated.

Lightning sighed and stared at the ground, "I don't know why, but it's difficult for me." She confessed. She didn't understand why, but she could talk to Noctis easily.

Noctis couldn't help but utter a small laugh at Lightning's frustrated expression; he found it cute but dared not to admit it. "Maybe I can help you out with that sometime. I'm not great, but I'm a fairly good chef." He told her. He saw a questioning look on her face, "It's the least I can do with all the combat practice you've been giving me."

Lightning nodded and smiled warmly at the prince, "Thanks, I'd be able to surprise my sister that way."

"Sister?" Noctis asked the female soldier.

Lightning nodded once again, "She does the cooking in the house and shopping in addition to keeping up with her studies."

"She sounds like your sister alright." Noctis said.

Lightning stared at Noctis and tilted her head questioningly, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Both of you work really hard. It's really admirable." Noctis said proudly.

Lightning punched Noctis on the soldier playfully, "Heh, thanks for that."

The prince chuckled, "Well it looks like we took up our time talking again, same time tomorrow?"

Lightning let out a small laugh, "I suppose we'll be making this a daily thing then."

Noctis nodded, "I suppose so, if you don't mind." He said teasingly.

Lightning dismissed his comment with a wave of her hand, "Just don't be late." She advised him.

Noctis saluted her, "No problem Commander!"

Lightning chuckled and Noctis smiled realizing he was able to make her laugh so much. "Thanks for today Light."

Lightning suddenly froze as she felt a rush of déjà vu and recalled the events of her dream. He said the exact same words in her dream. The young soldier felt her heart beat begin to quicken and she quickly grabbed her bag, "Right, well I'll be heading out first!" She said and rushed to the door.

Noctis called out to Lightning, "Light wait!" He yelled and ran after her.

Lightning felt him grab her wrist and she couldn't believe what was happening, _'Just like my dream, but that can't mean that he's going to…' _Lightning's mind was in a frenzy, she was losing herself again. _'I can't let my emotions rule me.' _After taking a deep breath Lightning slowly turned around to face Noctis, "What is it?"

Noctis held up his hand which had Lightning's GC jacket in it, "You almost forgot this."

Lightning mentally smacked herself and took the jacket from Noctis, "I must be really out of it today. Thanks see you in class Noct." She said and slid her ID card through the scanner opening the doors.

Noctis watched as Lightning quickly slipped on her jacket before the doors closed. He walked over to the bench where they sat down and began packing his equipment. After making sure everything was in his bag he sat down and let out a big sigh before rubbing his temples. "How is it that I feel so comfortable around her? It's not like me to act like this so quickly with a person I just met." He closed his eyes and an image of Lightning's frustrated expression accompanied with a light blush appeared in his head causing the prince to smile. "That really was cute."

**End Chapter **

Xethear: I hope you all enjoy this chapter! Things are beginning to heat up!

Noctis: Interesting dream Light~

Lightning: Shut it! *Enters Gestalt Mode*

Xethear: Time to go Noct!

Noctis: Are you kidding?! This is what I've been waiting for! Let's go Light!

Xethear: Thank you all for reading! Reviews are very much appreciated and now I shall take cover while these two have a sparring match!


	8. Determination

Disclaimer: Yes, I do not own the awesome Final Fantasy.

Xethear: Apologies once again for late chapters everyone, but I hope you enjoyed this one! If at any point chapters seem to be dragging for an unusual amount of time (perhaps 2 weeks) pm me and I'll be sure to get back to you! As of now I will try to bring you guys at least one chapter every week. Look forward to them as many more events will begin to unfold! I present Chapter 8!

**Chapter 8: Determination **

Noctis stared out the window of the classroom dreamily as Amodar went about another lecture. He found that staring at the clouds and the sky in general made him feel somewhat relaxed and slightly drowsy. He made it a habit to stare out the window during class whenever he was bored and on a cloudy day, tried to discern shapes among the clouds. In Tenebrae the prince would see swords and monsters figures in the clouds as he always thought about getting stronger, but ever since he moved to Bodhum with his friends, things had been different. They sky reminded him of Lightning's eyes, and wispy clouds reminded him of her hair. He was a hot mess, but was afraid to come into terms with his feelings.

The prince sighed and turned his attention to the front of the room before propping his elbow on his desk and resting his head on his hand. _'Go to Bodhum in order to learn more about the world. Once you've learned enough you may retake the battle rite of passage and rightfully take the throne. But remember my son, if you are defeated this time, you will lose that right.' _

Noctis's father's words resounded in his head and Noctis clenched his fist. _'That's right, I came here to get stronger.'_ An image of the man wielding the greatsword appeared in Ncotis's head causing the prince to grit his teeth in frustration, _'I have to defeat him, I don't have time for…'_ the prince sighed and glanced at Lightning who was focused on her notebook, a small smile appeared on his face and let his thoughts drift away.

Prompto cupped his hand over his mouth and whispered to Gladiolus and Prompto who were listening to Amodar's lecture, "Hey guys, he's staring at her again~" The blonde said with a cheerful grin.

Gladiolus let out a small chuckle, "You have a plan don't you?" The man asked Prompto with a gleam in his eyes.

Prompto gave Gladiolus a thumbs up, "Of course! This is for him! And besides, we haven't had much time to relax, it was move to Bodhum and get straight to learning!"

Ignis raised his eyebrow suspiciously, "You know we're not supposed to be _relaxing _the king gave all of us, including Noct a responsibility to fulfill the tasks given to us!" Ignis said sternly and adjusted his glasses.

Prompto let out a lazy yawn, "Don't be so uptight, Ignis you're coming as well!" The mischievous blond grinned, "I can invite Rikku as well~"

Prompto's glasses nearly fell off his face, "You will do no such thing!" He said angrily.

Prompto grinned triumphantly, "We'll see~ It's not after our first mission, there's still some time left."

Noctis had finally stopped out of his dream world, "What are you three talking about?" He asked his friends suspiciously after hearing Ignis raise his voice.

Prompto laughed nervously and tried to find a way to avoid the topic in hopes of his plot to remain unknown to the prince, "N-Nothinggg," the blonde said quickly, he waved his pencil at Noctis, "anyways you should pay attention to the lecture Noct, important stuff you know."

Noctis scoffed and tilted his notebook towards Prompto for him to see, he turned several pages of the notebook revealing each line covered with the prince's neat handwriting, "I have been paying attention, whereas you…" Noctis eyed Prompto's notebook and found various sketches of himself doing various things all over the pages, "…have neglected to do so."

A bright grin appeared on Prompto's face, "I would like to have you know that each one of these sketches represents part of the lecture Noct."

Noctis raised an eyebrow suspiciously and crossed his arms, "So what does the sketch of you and that Vanille girl represent about the lecture?" The prince said after scanning all of his friend's sketches.

Prompto glanced at his notebook and quickly turned the page, "I-I have no idea what you're talking about Noct." The blonde said nervously trying to avoid the prince's question.

Gladiolus laughed and reached out to pat Prompto on the back, "Nice going there." He said sarcastically.

Prompto groaned and sunk into his chair but suddenly sat up straight after suddenly hearing Amodar's voice.

"Are you three finished over there?" The man asked in a stern voice.

Ignis answered for his other friends, "Yes they are lieutenant, please continue."

Amodar let out a laugh at the others sour expressions towards Ignis, "Right then, well now as all of you have noticed from the past few days, things tend to move fast here in GC Academy. Very soon all of you will be dispatched on some of your first missions."

Amodar's announcement caused everyone to sit up straight "The first upcoming missions will be focused around groups and pairs, new cadets will be paired with veterans and others specializing in your field of expertise. You may pick one partner that you are comfortable with but others in your group you will have to get to know. We're all part of a big team here, no strangers amongst one another!" Amodar eyed each cadet in the room, "All of you will be evaluated upon performance and of course receive rewards such as better equipment."

The room boomed with excitement as cadets spoke with one another trying to find their one partner they would be allowed to select. Amodar laughed once again, "Partners aren't limited to this room alone cadets, you'll be able to select from all the cadets here at GC Academy. So get on out there and meet new faces! We'll all be working together in the future!" Amodar concluded his announcement by saluting the cadets and dismissed them to lunch before walking out of the room.

Noctis and his friends remained in their seats as the other cadets began leaving the classroom in order to start their lunch break.

Noctis turned his seat so that he was facing his friends, "This first mission sounds interesting." He said with a smirk.

Gladiolus grinned and formed his hand into a fist, "New faces to meet, and feral monsters to beat. It's starting to feel like work at Tenebrae again." The man said with a hint of excitement in his voice.

Prompto jumped up, "Yeah, and not to mention the new upgrades in equipment and other things right? We could use some new things."

Ignis cleared his throat, "You more than any of us Prompto. If you were more careful with things they would last longer." He clarified.

A frown appeared on Prompto's face, "I won't get better if I don't practice right? It's better than having it collect dust!"

Ignis was already prepared to counter Prompto's statement when Gladiolus stopped them, "Alright you two, let's go get some lunch before they run out of food. Look, while you two were arguing Noct already got up." The three turned their heads towards the door and the prince was indeed headed out of the room.

Prompto waved his arms frantically and leaped from his seat, "Wait for us Noct!"

**Paradigm Shift**

Lightning and her friends sat down at their usual table in the cafeteria; each of them were thinking about Amodar's announcement.

"Do you all have a partner in mind yet?" Hope asked everyone sitting at the table as he poked at his food with his fork. There was an odd number of them seeing as how Sazh was an instructor. Hope being one of the new cadet's during the previous year had no knowledge of anyone in GC Academy and was luckily paired with Lightning who taught him about combat, field knowledge and even introduced him to the others. If it wasn't for her he would have been picked on by the other cadets assigned in his group for being too timid.

Snow threw an arm around Hope causing the boy to drop his fork, "Hahaha! Don't worry Hope! I'll be your partner this year! You won't be left out!" The man said and ruffled Hope's silver hair.

A small smile appeared on Hope's face but as quickly as it came, it vanished, "What about Light then? Who will be her partner?" He asked and turned his head towards the female soldier.

Lightning scoffed, "Ill manage." She said bluntly and continued to eat her lunch.

Sazh let out a cheerful laugh, "Ms. Soldier here can solo the first dispatch mission if she felt like it."

Vanille responded to Sazh's comment with a giggle, "No doubt about that!" She added.

Fang yawned and leaned back in her seat, "We don't really have to worry about Sunshine, it's the fresh fish out of the water we need to pay attention to."

Everyone nodded in agreement, the new cadets had to learn what needed to be done out in the field and become comfortable with who they were working with.

After some idle chatter, the group began discussing how their very first mission went. They acknowledged their successes and what mistaked they wanted to correct when all of a sudden Prompto walked up to the table. His movements seemed mechanical as if he was racked with nerves.

Lightning eyed him suspiciously as he slowly raised his hand up, "H-Hi there everyone." He said shakily. Lightning noticed Noctis and his other friends watching the blonde from their table. Gladiolus seemed to be stifling his laughter.

There was an awkward silence which made Prompto even more nervous until he saw Vanille sitting up and staring at him from the corner of his eyes. He took a deep breath and turned to the red headed girl a clear blush appeared across his face, "W-WILL YOU BE MY PARTNER?" He said practically shouting startling everyone at the table.

Prompto closed his eyes and groaned when he heard Gladiolus laugh in the distance. He could already imagine the expression on Ignis's face as well as Noctis's. The blonde was surprised to find Vanille blushing as well when he opened his eyes.

The red head looked up at Prompto from her seat and gave him a bright smile before responding in a cheerful voice, "Sure!" She said and bounced in her seat.

Prompto was stunned for a few seconds and pinched his cheek to make sure he wasn't dreaming. A goofy smile appeared on his face and he thrusted his fist in the air triumphantly, "YES!" He shouted.

Fang glared at the blonde causing him to jump back and he laughed nervously, "I-I'll call you about strategies!" He said before dashing back to his table with his friends.

Vanille giggle when she saw him in the distance moving his hands around enthusiastically which made her assume he was telling his friends what had happened.

Fang drummed her fingers on the table, "Who's going to be my partner?" Fang asked Vanille. It was clear that the woman was irritated.

"O-Oh, I-I'm sorry Fang…" The red head said sadly forgetting that her original partner was Fang.

The dark haired woman sighed and patted Vanille's head, "You really are something else. If that goes does anything bad you let me know though alright?"

Vanille smiled and nodded at Fang.

"I really can't believe you actually did that." Ignis uttered in disbelief as he pinched the bridge of his nose with one hand and rubbed his temples with another. "You were practically shouting. The whole cafeteria could hear you."

Prompto grinned foolishly and spoke through a mouthful of food, "She shed yesh though right? Thash what mattersh." The blonde said sputtering bits of food on the table.

Ignis flinched at his friend's table manners while Gladiolus laughed.

"I guess it's my turn then." Gladiolus said as he rose from his seat.

"Oh?" We get to see who Gladiolus has his eyes on guys!" Prompto said excitedly.

Noctis crossed one leg over the other and sunk in his chair, "This isn't some date you two. This is serious, it's a mission." He said to his friends.

Gladiolus smiled, "Yeah we know Noct. But it's also a chance to make new friends."

Noctis and the others watched curiously as Gladiolus walked towards Lightning's table. Prompto was shocked, "Is he going to ask Ms. Star Soldier?"

"No." Noctis said instinctively and was surprised at himself for saying something so quickly.

The prince was however correct, Prompto's mouth dropped down as he saw Gladiolus speaking with the woman who glared at him earlier.

Noctis's eyes were fixed on Lightning as he noticed even the stoic soldier was caught a bit off guard at Gladiolus's proposal to Fang.

Noctis and the other's heard Gladiolus's hearty laugh from across the room and knew he had the answer he wanted. When he returned to the table Prompto bombarded the man with fragmented questions. "HER?! HOW?! WHEN?! WHY?!" He shouted frantically.

Gladiolus responded with another laugh but before they could answer Rikku appeared at their table and pulled a stunned Ignis away leaving Noctis and the others speechless.

Noctis let out a small nervous laugh, "I suppose that's one way to get a partner."

Prompto nodded in agreement before nudging the prince with his elbow, "Soooo, when are you going to ask her Noct~?"

Noctis scoffed, "I don't know who you're talking about." He said and took a bite of his food.

Prompto shrugged and returned to his meal, "You better ask her quick Noct, other guys probably want her to be their partner seeing her rank and all."

Noctis suddenly stopped eating and stared at his plate realizing that his friend was right but continued to deny his feelings once again as his father's words rang in his head. "I don't need a partner." He said proudly. "I'll be able to figure things out myself."

**Paradigm Shift**

Noctis quickly finished his lunch and found he had some extra time left before the start of class and decided to go to the training room in order to observe some of the equipment. Before leaving the cafeteria he noticed that Lightning wasn't at her table and wondered if she went to the training room. It wasn't long before Noctis spotted the female soldier in the halls talking to another person, a man with medium length black hair.

The prince instinctively jumped back and hid behind the corner of the hallway and listened in on their conversation.

"An SS rank is an outstanding rank to be given to any cadet. It shows you are highly skilled Ms. Farron." The man said.

Noctis could tell he wanted something from Lightning from the tone of his voice.

Lightning leaned against the wall, crossed her arms and glared at the man, "Flattery won't get you anywhere Cadet Raines." She said coldly.

The man uttered a small chuckle, "You misread me Ms. Farron. I was merely stating fact."

Noctis couldn't help but grit his teeth in frustration, he knew others would want Lightning as a partner, but never expected a proposal so soon. He never thought himself to be one who would succumb to jealousy, but the stinging pain in his chest told him otherwise. He disliked it when another approached Lightning.

Lightning's harsh tone never left her voice as the conversation dragged on, "Cut to the chase." She said sharply.

The man she acknowledged as Raines crossed his arms and nodded, "Very well. Ms. Farron, would you please considering being my partner for the upcoming missions?"

Noctis clenched his fists, he was about to interrupt the conversation when he felt someone's hand on his shoulder. He quickly turned around and saw a woman with silvery blonde hair and glasses smiling at him. The prince didn't understand why, but something about her smile made him feel uncomfortable.

The woman extended her hand and introduced herself, "Cadet Jihl Nabaat. I'm glad to have found you Prince Caelum."

Noctis hesitated before taking her hand and shaking it. "May I help you?" He asked the mysterious woman.

She nodded and leaned against the wall next to Noctis before speaking in a clear polite manner, "I was very impressed with the score you received for the evaluation battles. You're one of the first incoming cadets to receive an S rank in a while."

Jihl suddenly removed her glasses and looked Noctis in the eyes, her tone changing in the process, "With that being said, I'd like you to be my partner in the upcoming missions. I'll show you everything you need to know and perhaps even go on future missions together." She said seriously.

Noctis couldn't tell the woman's true motives but knew she wanted something more. "You cut right to the chase Cadet Nabaat. I'll think about it." Noctis said wanting no further involvement in the conversation.

Jihl gave Noctis another smile, "Please do. I look forward to your answer prince." The woman walked away leaving Noctis wondering what the mysterious woman really wanted.

He pondered for a moment only to have his thoughts interrupted by footsteps echoing in the hall. Before Noctis could react the man Lightning was talking to bumped into him as he turned the corner of the hall.

"Ahh, please forgive me sir. I wasn't paying attention." The man said.

"No worries." Noctis said without a hint of emotion in his voice.

"Cadet Cid Raines. Please to make your acquaintance."

"Cadet Caelum." Noctis said simply and plainly.

The man seemed surprised as he took off his cap and gave Noctis a small bow, "Forgive me your highness, I didn't realize-"

"Cut the formalities." Noctis said swiftly, "I'm a cadet like everyone else here."

"Of course." Cid said acknowledging the prince's wish. "I'm sorry but I'm late for a meeting, if you'll excuse me Cadet Caelum."

The prince stared at the man walk off into the distance and glared at him. Noctis had no knowledge of whether or not Lightning answered yes to Cid's question due to Jihl's proposal to him. Instead of dwelling on the question the prince decided he would ask Lightning upfront, without revealing he was eavesdropping. He turned the corner of the hall to find the corridor empty and assumed Lightning had already gone to the training room.

Noctis's assumption was correct when he entered the training room and saw the female soldier scanning the contents of the datalog located by the summon gate.

Lightning turned around when she heard the doors open and greeted Noctis with a small wave of her hand. "Hello Noct." She said casually as the prince walked up to her.

"Hey Light." Noctis responded nonchalantly. "What are you doing here?" He asked her with the same tone in his voice.

Lightning continued to scan the datalog pressing several buttons on a holo-keyboard as she responded to the prince's question, "I forgot to input some data for vespids earlier, in addition I forgot that I didn't input the command for the computer to clean the remains of the vespids I took out earlier today, but someone must have done it because when I got here the place was spotless." She told the prince.

Noctis scratched the back of his head, "Ahh, I see. Yeah I was able to figure out the controls before going to class and inputted the commands myself."

Lightning let out a small laugh, "Thanks for doing that. It's not like me to forget things. I might have a fever or something; I've been feeling light headed today." She confessed to the prince.

"Really?" Noctis asked as he stared at Lightning's face. Without thinking he removed the glove from his right hand and placed his hand on her forehead causing the young soldier to instinctively react by swatting the prince's hand away and punching him squarely on the chest.

Noctis fell back a few steps and clutched his chest as he coughed trying to recover from the preemptive strike, "W-What was that for?!" He exclaimed.

Lightning rubbed her forehead before returning to the datalog, "Reflex." She said as she resumed typing on the holo-keyboard brushing away the tickling sensation she felt in her chest from contact with the prince. She refused to show any signs of affection thinking they would become a problem in the future.

Noctis sighed and walked over to the armory, "Next time warn me of such things." The prince took a greatsword down from the armory and swung the weapon, trying to get a good feel for the weight. "I'm surprised you didn't hit me earlier when I held your wrist earlier." He said over his shoulder.

Lightning ignored the prince's comment as she asked him the same question he asked her moments ago, "So, what are you doing here?" She asked him her eyes never leaving the datalog's screen.

Noctis swung the greatsword over his head several times before setting the large weapon down, "I just thought I'd get a look at more of the equipment before class starts again." He returned the greatsword and picked up several throwing knives. "I was eager to practice with firearms earlier that I neglected the other weapons in the armory." He explained to her not telling her the other motive for him being there; the proposal from Cid.

Lightning finally finished inputting the information she gathered into the datalog and stretched her arms before walking to the armory next to Noctis. "That's good. You're getting more practice in." She said as she picked up a sword. She swung the weapon around swiftly and gracefully following each sword stroke with speed and precision.

Noctis watched her while she practiced and after a short while, he decided to ask Lightning the question that was gnawing at the back of his head. "Hey Light?"

Lightning stopped her routine and held the sword next to her head letting it rest on her shoulder, "What is it?"

Noctis took a deep breath and imagined his friends grinning foolishly at him from what he was about to do. "Do you happen to have a partner for the primary dispatch missions coming up?" He asked her while averting his gaze away from her.

Lightning seemed slightly surprised at the prince's question but nevertheless answered, "No. No I don't." She said plainly before returning to her routine.

Noctis was surprised but felt relieved. "I'm sure plenty of cadets asked you. What happened?" He asked curiously.

Lightning sighed and walked over to the armory placing the sword back in its rack, "I doubt they'd be able to keep up. If you haven't noticed I'm strict and I rarely tolerate people I think will slow me down." She told him coldly. "That's why I prefer taking up solo missions."

Noctis didn't expect the kind of answer she gave him, "I see." He muttered softly.

"And what about you?" Lightning asked him suddenly.

"What?" Noctis asked dumbfounded.

Lightning chuckled and shook her head, "You're quick to forget the questions you ask of others prince." She said finding amusement in the prince's disbelief. "Do you have a partner?" She told him clearing the confusion on his face. "Your two friends happened to ask Fang and Vanille. What about you and your other friend?"

Noctis recalled Ignis being taken away by Rikku and placed his hand over his mouth to stifle his laughter. "Ignis was dragged away by a girl we met on the first day named Rikku. I can only assume they'll be partners."

Lightning couldn't help but let out a small laugh which made Noctis smile. "Unbelievable."

"As for myself, I haven't a partner yet but received a proposal from Jihl Nabaat." Noctis said.

After saying the woman's name Lightning suddenly became silent and tense. "I see. What was your answer?" She asked seriously.

Noctis wondered why her tone had suddenly shifted, "I said I would think about it."

Lightning seemed to relax a little after hearing Noctis's answer, "I see."

The sudden shift in the soldiers tone had awoken the prince's curiosity and it got the better of him, "Do you have history with Cadet Nabaat?" He asked her anticipating her answer to be "yes."

His prediction was confirmed when she answered his question with a sigh and a nod. "She aims to be the best in GC Academy and won't let anyone get in her way. She's cold and her methods for completing missions are irrational, but nevertheless you can say she gets the job done." Lightning walked towards the bench she usually sat at with Noctis following close behind.

Noctis sat down next to Lightning and looked at her curiously, "Where do you appear in the picture Light?"

Lightning continued with her story, "On one mission we were paired up along with a new cadet, Hope."

"The boy at your lunch table?" Noctis asked remembering the silver haired boy sitting at Lightning's table with all of her friends.

Lightning nodded and continued speaking, "We we're sent on a simple mission to drive away several of the aquatic monsters - Bloodbaths - located off the outskirts of Bodhum." Lightning clenched her fists before resuming her story, "Though Hope was supposed to just observe from behind and provide back up when needed, Nabaat sent him straight in the fray while I was occupied with the other cadets. If he hadn't called out to me when he did, he could have been hurt badly."

Once Lightning concluded her story the room was completely silent. She expected Noctis to speak but when she looked to her side the prince was gone. "Noctis?" She called his name and looked around the room.

She spotted him walking towards the punching bags with his fists clenched. Before she could call out to him once again the prince swung at the bag with such force that it sent the bag swinging violently. "How could she do that?!" He roared, his voice resounding throughout the room. "People like that make me sick." He said in complete disgust.

Lightning walked up to the man and delivered a quick punch to his shoulder causing him to look up at her in disbelief. Before he could speak she answered him, "Don't lose your cool in battle, it'll cost you." She advised him.

Noctis found it surprising that even though they only met for several days Lightning was treating him like a really close friend. Despite her stoicism and distant demeanor, the prince felt that she was actually a very caring person. He took a deep breath relaxing himself and nodded. "You're right." He said calmly, "That's what got me defeated before." He whispered to himself.

Lightning heard the prince's mutter, "What was that?" She said as she stretched her arms again.

The prince shook his head, "It's nothing."

Lightning shrugged her shoulders and took her ID card out from her pocket, "Almost time for class to resume." She told him.

Noctis pulled his phone out from his pocket and found the soldier to be right. "You go on ahead. I just want to look at the armory one more time." He told her as he began walked to the designated area.

Lightning responded with a simple nod of her head and headed towards the doors.

Noctis reached the armory and surveyed the weapons quickly before mustering up the courage to ask the soldier what he really wanted to ask her.

Before Lightning could swipe her ID card through the scanner she heard Noctis call out to her.

"Lightning!" He yelled across the room.

Lightning turned around and saw the prince running towards her. "What now?" She said impatiently not wanting to be late for class.

Noctis scratched the back of his head again and turned his head away from her avoiding her gaze. He knew he would probably lose his composure if he stared into her eyes. "I've made up my mind and…" He hesitated for a moment but then finished what he was going to tell her, "…would you mind being my partner for the primary dispatch missions?"

Noctis closed his eyes, he could feel his face get warm; he never anticipated asking a simple question would make him feel so embarrassed. He waited for Lightning's answer but instead heard the doors of the training room slide open. He opened his eyes and saw Lightning walking out the room. "Light-"

Lightning cut the prince's sentence short, "Be here tomorrow an hour early. You'll need to know some basics if you hope to keep up with me." She told him over her shoulder.

Noctis smiled, "I'll be here." He told her before the doors closed separating them once again.

**End Chapter:**

Xethear: I hope you all enjoy this chapter! Though things between our protagonists have seem to come to a stand still expect the mischievous duo of Prompto and Gladiolus accompanied by Ignis to fix that!

Lightning: What is he talking about Noctis?

Noctis: I'll have to ask those three later.

Prompto: Oh shoot! Gladiolus! Ignis! Make a break for it!


	9. Setting You Free

Disclaimer: Tis the disclaimer once again. I do not own Final Fantasy.

Xethear: Hello everyone, I'm currently in the progress of making another fanfic, but I surely won't neglect this one! I present Chapter 9 and like previous chapters, apologies if it took too long!

**Chapter 9: Setting You Free**

Noctis exited the bathroom with a small content smile on his face and a small towel resting on his shoulders; the fresh steam coming from the room was proof that he took a nice long relaxing shower. The prince took the towel and began drying his dark wet hair as he headed downstairs towards the living room where his friends were. It wasn't surprising to hear the noise coming from the room, his friends were rarely quiet; from the sounds of Prompto and Gladiolus cheering Noctis quickly assumed that they were watching chocobos race once again.

The prince's swift assumption was quickly justified when he entered the room and found Prompto thrusting his fist in the air and shouting at the television screen. "You can do it! I've got 1000 gil on you Choco! Leave them all following your tracks!" The blonde shouted energetically.

Noctis chuckled and pulled a chair next to Ignis as he continued to dry his hair with the towel. "How much money has Prompto lost again this month?" Prompto asked Ignis who was scribbling in his notebook.

Ignis let out a sigh and removed his glasses to clean the lens, "A little over 10,000 gil." The man said as he shook his head.

Noctis wasn't surprised, "When will you learn Prompto?" He asked turning his attention towards the enthusiastic blonde.

"Once I finally get a win! I believe in you Choco!" Prompto shouted at the chocobo who was sprinting on the racetrack.

Gladiolus laughed, "It's alright guys, I'll treat us to dinner sometime-"

Gladiolus suddenly paused, closed his eyes and crossed his arms before leaning back on the couch. "Though technically, I suppose it's Prompto who'll be treating us considering it's his money he lost." Noctis and Ignis nodded in agreement.

Prompto pointed his finger at the three men, "Just you wait! Choco will surprise all of you one day!" Prompto said placing his hands on his hips and sticking his chest out proudly.

At the moment Prompto ended his sentence, the jet black chocobo known as Volg crossed the finished line once again leaving Prompto finished. He slowly turned away from the screen and saw Gladiolus grinning holding out his hand. "Just you wait." Prompto said to the men as he dug around for the gil he gambled with in his pocket.

After relinquishing the gil Prompto suck into the couch and stretched his arms and legs before yawning. "Soooo, looks like all of us have partners for the upcoming missions." Prompto said loudly.

Noctis suddenly sat up straight with a confused look on his face; he never recalled telling Prompto he asked Lightning to be his partner. He faced the blonde only to find the man grinning from cheek to cheek.

Prompto placed his hands behind his head and yawned once again, "Vanille told me Noct, you can't hide these things from us anymore!" He said with a grin.

Noctis scoffed and finally finished drying his hair, "I'm surprised you actually asked her, you were a nervous wreck earlier today." Noctis said recalling Prompto's shaky proposal to Vanille.

Prompto grinned, "It was all part of the plan!" He said confidently.

Ignis rolled his eyes and took a deep breath, "It didn't seem like it, especially since you seemed to yell your question to the woman."

Prompto's face turned a slight shade of red as he recalled shouting in the cafeteria practically startling everyone in the room. "Yeah well, what happened when Rikku pulled you away Ignis~?"

It was now Ignis's turn to feel embarrassment, "Nothing whatsoever!" Ignis snapped.

Prompto laughed, "Sweet vengeance!" He said cheerfully. Prompto then nudged Gladiolus with his elbow, "So when were you going to tell us you were interested in the woman who hates me?" Prompto asked him as he raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms.

Gladiolus grinned, "I was going to… _eventually_." He emphasized the last word with a grin.

"Hmph. As long as you keep her from hunting me down during our mission's things should be okay."

Gladiolus filled the room with his laughter, "No guarantees!" He said loudly.

Prompto shivered at the thought of Fang lurking in the shadows, "A-Anyways, I wonder how Noct here will cooperate with his princess~" Gladiolus grinned at Prompto and both men turned to face Noctis. Even Ignis looked towards the prince out of the corners of his eyes.

"She's not my princess, all we are, are battle companions." Noctis told his friends with a small hint of uncertainty in his voice.

"Are you sure about that Noct?" Prompto asked with another of his mischievous grins, "You stare at her a lot. I don't think regular battle companions do that."

Noctis rose from his chair and rolled his towel up into a ball before tossing it at Prompto's face.

"H-Heyyy!" Prompto threw the towel across the room before wiping his face, "What was that for?"

Noctis shrugged, "I'm going to bed. I have to get up early tomorrow." The prince said as he headed towards the doorway.

"Why is that Noct?" Ignis asked.

"I have to-"

"Meet up with your battle companion~?" Prompto said teasingly as he looked at the prince.

Noctis stopped when he reached the door, "Ignis, Gladiolus, what would you like for breakfast tomorrow? Prompto, you're not getting anything."

Prompto's mouth dropped open and he fell off the couch with a thud. The blonde quickly scrambled up and crawled towards Noctis, "Come on Noct! I was just kidding! C-Can I have some breakfast too?" Prompto said practically begging the prince.

Gladiolus roared with laughter at Prompto's reaction and even Ignis let out a small chuckle. Noctis grinned as he turned the knob of the door, "We'll see." He said plainly and headed towards the staircase.

Prompto crawled over to a corner of the room and tucked into a ball, "I'm going to have to hunt for my breakfast tomorrow right?"

Ignis and Gladiolus exchanged looks before nodding together, "Most likely." They said in unison causing Prompto to whine.

**Paradigm Shift**

"Is it that one there Light?" Serah asked pointing up at the night sky; the two Farron sisters were lying on their backs, side by side on Lightning's bed staring up at the wondrous arrays of stars scattered across the night sky.

Lightning laughed and shook her head before grabbing her sister's wrist and directing her point in another direction, "That blue star there is Leviathan." Lightning pointed with her finger tracing out the constellation for her sister to see.

Serah smiled and clapped her hands, "I can see it now!" She turned her head to the side and grinned at her sister, "Where's my favorite constellation Light?"

Lightning chuckled and took her sister's wrist in her hand once again pointing her finger at a cluster of four stars, "There's the moogle." Lightning said to her sister, happy to see a bright smile appear on her younger sibling's face.

"I can really see that constellation. That big star right there looks like its pompom!" Serah exclaimed with excitement.

Lightning nodded before pointing at one of the brightest stars in the sky, "That one is the knight Odin. If you look closely, you can see him riding his horse Sleipnir."

Serah's eyes grew wide as the constellation began taking form and she framed the group of stars with her fingers. "It looks amazing Light!"

The two Farrons laughed together as they located various other constellations located in the night sky until they began feeling sleepy.

Serah closed her eyes feeling a yawn coming and stretched her arms. "Ahhh, it's time for bedddd." She said as she closed her eyes and crawled under the blanket.

Lightning rolled her eyes before placing a hand on her sister's shoulder giving her a small shake as if waking her up in the morning. "Hey, aren't you going to your room Serah?" Lightning asked continuing to shake her sister.

Serah pretended to be asleep letting out a small snore which was received by a small sigh from Lightning. "Just this once." Lightning said before lying down herself. She could hear her sister whisper something under the covers which sounded like a small "Yes!" which caused Lightning to smile and shake her head.

After a few minutes had passed the youngest Farron had slipped off into a deep slumber. Lightning decided to spend more time staring at the stars and planned out her routine to practice with Noctis for the morning. She thought of various practice runs with weapons, the grav-con unit and of course practice trials with the summon gate before feeling somewhat satisfied with the plan she mapped out in her head. Lightning got up from bed and walked over to the wall and pressed the button which closed the rooftop before returning to her bed.

"Time to get back on track." Lightning told herself before falling asleep.

**Paradigm Shift**

Noctis sunk into his seat in the car and groaned, "I told you guys that you didn't have to come."

Gladiolus laughed and brought his arm around Noctis's neck bringing the prince into a headlock, "Nonsense Noct! We're just curious to know why you've been getting up extra early eager to go to the academy for the past few days! It's been pretty long since we've seen you this excited."

"Eager? Excited? I've no idea what you're talking about Gladiolus." Noctis said as he quickly escaped the man's headlock and directed his attention to the window.

Prompto could be heard laughing from the passenger's seat, "Come on, don't be like that Noct! Though… we have an idea why you're like this~" Prompto said with a sly grin.

Noctis scoffed and closed his eyes. "Suit yourself if you want to come, but like I said before, it's just training."

The four arrived at the training room with Noctis leading the pack. He was excited to start training with Lightning but had to admit part of him was nervous. _'Don't let your emotions rule you Noct. You're the prince of Tenebrae.' _

Noctis felt a hand on his shoulder, "Don't feel nervous Noct! We're all excited for you to give us an introduction to Lightning!" Prompto said excitedly and ran ahead, quickly swiping his ID card through the scanner.

Noctis placed a hand on his forehead and shook his head, "Tch…"

The doors slid opened and Prompto ran inside, "Helloooooooo!" He shouted loudly.

"Good morning guys!" Vanille said cheerfully walking towards the four men.

The four were only expecting Lightning to be in the training room, so they were caught off guard when they saw the female soldier accompanied with some of her friends as well as Tidus, Yuna, Rikku and Wakka.

Noctis noticed Lightning at the armory and walked over to greet her, but halfway before reaching her he stopped as she tossed a sword over at him. Before he had time to speak the female soldier rushed at him with her blade and he quickly blocked the blow with the sword she gave him.

"Well that's a fine hello." The prince said between their clashing blades.

Lightning smirked, "Think of it as a warm up. I did say you'd have to keep up with me."

The prince replied with a small smile, "I don't intend to disappoint you." He told her before breaking their stalemated clash.

"So what are all these people doing here?" Noctis asked Lightning as she took up a battle stance.

Lightning rushed the man once again sending a series of blade strikes towards him once again; Noctis deflected each successive blow but noticed each gradually increasing in speed. In between their clashing blades Lightning would respond to the prince, over time it was as if their warm up and conversation became one.

"They all have their own agenda. Fang, Vanille and Rikku all plan to train with their partners." Lightning explained to Noctis as they continued swinging their swords at one another. "Tidus, Yuna and Wakka are here with Rikku and plan to train with your friends as well."

"Ahh, so that's it." Noctis said before running over to the armory. He quickly holstered a firearm on his leg and slipped on a grav-con unit, immediately snapping his fingers once the glove was fitted onto his hand.

The prince soared across the room and landed on the wall smoothly.

Lightning raised her eyebrow and a smile of approval appeared on her face, "Very nice." She said before throwing her sword at Noctis.

The prince didn't expect Lightning to throw her weapon at him and instinctively dodged. The blade missed the prince and stuck to the wall and in a mere instant; Lightning had activated her grav-con unit and swiftly retrieved her blade before dashing towards a retreating Noctis.

'_Looks like the warm up is over, her speed suddenly increased!' _

Noctis kicked off against the wall and propelled himself towards the opposite wall just in time to avoid Lightning's strike. The two cadets leapt across the room exchanging fervent blows with one another as their friends watched in disbelief.

"H-Have these two been doing things like this?" Tidus asked everyone in disbelief.

"Looks like we had the wrong idea." Prompto said as he glanced over at Gladiolus.

Fang took Gladiolus by the hand before he could respond to the blonde and had him run with her towards the armory, "We can't let them have all the fun now right Volg?"

"Volg?" Gladiolus stared at the dark haired woman who gave him a grin.

"The color of your hair reminds me of that chocobo who's been winning races." She clarified.

Gladiolus laughed as he picked up a greatsword, "So you watch that too eh?"

"Of course. Now get ready!" Fang said as she lunged at the man with a spear.

Prompto laughed, "I guess we should get started t—"

"Think fast!" Tidus shouted at Prompto. The youth's warning came too late as a blitzball collided with the back of Prompto's head sending the blonde crashing to the floor.

"Owwww!" Prompto yelled rolling around the floor.

"W-Whoops." Tidus said before being pulled away to be given a scolding by Yuna.

Vanille quickly rushed over to the blonde's side and stopped him from rolling, "C-Calm down Prompto! Drink this!" Vanille said as she placed a potion bottle on his lips.

Prompto quickly chugged the potion down and was up on his feet in a matter of seconds. "Thanks Vanille! Now let's get started!" He said with a cheerful grin causing the red head to giggle.

The two walked over to the armory and saw that Ignis and Rikku were already sparring together. Prompto froze and called Noctis and Gladiolus over interrupting their sparring routine.

"What is it Prompto?" Noctis asked the blonde impatiently looking up at the ceiling to see an annoyed looking Lightning.

Prompto raised a trembling hand and pointed over at Ignis's direction, "L-Look at that." The blonde said, his voice shaky.

Both Noctis and Gladiolus looked over at Ignis's direction and were shocked to find their stoic friend laughing.

"That Rikku girl must be something to get him to do that." Gladiolus said as he watched the two spar.

"Don't look away Feathers!" Fang yelled at Gladiolus thrusting her spear towards him.

Gladiolus blocked the spear with his greatsword just in time to prevent himself from being shocked, "Why Feathers now?"

"Because you were distracted." Fang said with a smirk.

Noctis smiled as he looked around the room filled with so much activity. His friends were having fun and he had to admit, he was having more fun than he ever had before.

"Best not keep her waiting." Noctis muttered as he leapt after an impatient Lightning.

**Paradigm Shift**

Time flew by quickly as the group of friends completed their training routine. All of them decided to walk together to class with the exception of Lightning and Noctis. The two stayed behind in order to clean the training room.

"Nice work today." Lightning told the prince offering him an extra towel she had packed in her bag.

Noctis smiled at the female soldier and took the towel from her and wiped his face, "Thanks. Ever since I came here it's like I've been set free from the shackles of being a prince. It was rigorous training, but for some reason, I had a lot of fun." He told her.

Lightning finished packing her things and sat on the bench and drank from her water bottle. "I did as well." She let out a small sigh, "It's been a while since I could honestly say that I've had fun in battle." Lightning confessed to the prince. "Keep this up and you might be able to keep up with me."

Lightning's last comment caused the prince to laugh. "_Might? _I'll definitely be able to keep up." Noctis said confidently.

Lightning crossed one leg over the other and turned towards the prince, "Is that so?"

Noctis nodded without hesitating, "Would you care to make a wager?"

Lightning raised her eyebrow, "What kind of wager?" She asked him curiously.

Noctis rose from the bench and paced back and forth as he thought of something to wager. The prince suddenly snapped his fingers, "I read up that some previous dispatch missions have a clear count for the number of monsters you drive away or take out. How about this, whoever drives away or dispatches the most monsters between the two of us wins and the loser buys the other anything from the cafeteria."

Lightning smiled walked over to the prince and held out her hand. "Deal." She said simply.

Noctis shook Lightning's hand and heard her utter a small laugh, "Be prepared for the upcoming missions and to buy me a large behemoth steak Noct."

Noctis grinned, "I might just surprise you Light."

**Chapter End**

Xethear: Prepare for the upcoming missions coming in Chapter 10 everyone! With it, more action and romance!

Light and Noct: Romance?

Xethear and Prompto: Yes, heheheh.


	10. The Warpath Home

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy does not belong to me, but maybe one day I can contribute to its awesomeness.

Xethear: Hello everyone! I was able to update this chapter faster than the last, thank goodness. I hope you all enjoy!

**Chapter 10: The Warpath Home**

Time flew by quickly for Noctis and Lightning and their friends as they trained rigorously for the upcoming dispatch missions, each learning their partner's fighting style and field strategies. It wasn't long before the day of their first mission was upon them.

Noctis stood beside Lightning amongst a lineup of cadets located at a base camp just off the town of Bodhum; Prompto and Vanille were behind the pair, Gladiolus and Fang in front and Ignis to Noctis's left. Several tents were pitched throughout the base camp and a large stage was located at the center. Beyond the perimeter of the camp Noctis could see a large forested area with light grey clouds overlooking the trees; he assumed that to be the outskirts of Bodhum – the area where the missions will be taking place.

After standing practically motionless for what seemed like an eternity the cadets were finally given some direction when several commanding officers lined up at the top of the stage, lieutenant Amodar being at the center. Noctis was staring intently at the forest off in the distance to notice Amodar take a step in front of all the other officers' ready to begin speaking; he didn't look towards the stage until he received a sharp nudge against his arm from Lightning. The female soldier mouthed the words "Pay attention." Noctis rolled his eyes and mouthed the words "Yes Ms. Lightning." It was something he would constantly say during their training sessions whenever she corrected him. Lightning found his sarcasm unamusing.

Noctis noticed Amodar put on a headset which he identified as a voice amplifier, one of the devices he took note of during a lecture. Just as the name implied when Amodar spoke, his voice reverberated throughout the camp.

"Cadets! Today is the day to see whether or not you truly want to be in Guardian Corp!" Amodar scanned the camp making sure all the cadets were paying attention before continuing. "Up until now, what we've taught you were from our experiences, datalogs and texts. All those things are relevant, but nothing beats the actual experience!"

Noctis heard Gladiolus chuckle in front of him and mutter, "You got that right." Which earned a small laugh from Fang.

Prompto released a small yawn and tapped Noctis's shoulder, "I'm bored, when do you think the lecture will be over?" The blonde whined.

Noctis sighed and responded without taking his attention off Amodar, "Just bear with it for a little while longer, the briefing should be over soon… I hope…"

The small comment Noctis added at the end of his sentence produced a grin from Prompto. "Nice knowing I'm not the only one bored here."

After several more minutes of the briefing, the cadets were finally released to meet up with their groups bestowing a newfound excitement in the air.

Noctis followed Lightning to a small crowd of younger cadets composed of several men and women chatting amongst one another. As the cadets saw their commanding officer approach they quickly became silent and saluted her. Lightning silently raised her hand allowing them to drop their salute easing the tension amongst them.

"Hello cadets, I am Cadet Lightning Farron your commanding officer for today's dispatch missions. Address me just as Lightning." With her brief introduction concluded, Lightning took a step back and gave Noctis a light shove on the back giving him a signal to introduce himself next.

The prince cleared his throat to ensure that his introduction was audible and clear. "Cadet Noctis Caelum. Transfer from Tenebrae, pleased to meet you all." After the prince concluded his small introduction he took a step back and allowed the next cadet to introduce themselves.

Soon all the cadets were well acquainted with one another which increased morale. Both Lightning and Noctis were surprised to have a variety of personalities in their group; one being Shelke a quiet girl with short reddish brown hair, another Zidane an energetic youth with a quick tongue to compliment women as Noctis found out with disdain when he approached Lightning complimenting her legs. To Noctis's amusement, the female soldier seemed unfazed by the "compliment" and instead ordered Zidane to carry the team's rations. The other cadets in their group included Bartz, a carefree cadet, and Terra a timid girl.

Lightning instructed the cadets to take survey of the supplies they carried before heading out. Their pack consisted of several potions, some food, and one elixir in case of an emergency. Lightning gave strict instructions about the elixir instructing the group that it was only for emergencies and that there was just enough for one person, so it was crucial not to waste a drop.

"Before we head out listen up." Lightning said to her group. "If at any point, things get too rough, feel free to call for help and fall back. Knowing when to fall back and call for help when overwhelmed isn't a sign of weakness; it's tactical and will help you survive."

Noctis was impressed at how well Lightning took charge and lead the group. He could easily see why she was idolized as the star cadet of Bodhum GC Academy. Not long after Lightning's words of advice were given that the squad marched off into the humid outskirts of Bodhum.

**Paradigm Shift**

The forest was bursting with nature; everywhere Noctis looked he could find an exotic plant foreign to him but was easily distinguished by the locals. The ground beneath their feet made splashing noises each time the cadets took a step forward, evidence of recent rainfall.

Lightning led the group through various paths and obstacles, directing each cadet individually when they faced difficulties. Over time, the cadets paired together naturally, Shelke and Terra spoke to one another quietly as opposed to Zidane and Bartz's loud conversations about treasure hunting. That left Lightning and Noctis as a pair but neither spoke to one another due to Lightning's preplanned formation giving her the lead and Noctis as the rear guard in case something approached them from behind. Noctis knew the role he was given was a very important one from the explanations Lightning gave him during their training. He would be the one to carve out a path if a group retreat was required.

As the group marched on, the area was suddenly filled with shrill shrieks and splashed.

"What was that?" Zidane whispered to Bartz.

Zidane's partner responded with a shrug, "No idea." Bartz said plainly.

"They're Bloodbaths." Shelke said to the pair and further elaborated, "They're amphibious monsters that live in humid areas like Bodhum."

Lightning gave Shelke's analysis a small nod of approval and added additional information. "Bloodbaths tend to attack in groups and call for help when in danger. Do not engage a swarm of them unless you know how to handle them."

"I hope I can be of some help to everyone." Terra murmured to herself.

Noctis heard the girl's timid voice and placed a firm grip on her shoulder, "Don't worry, we're all here. We'll take them down together." He gave her a reassuring smile which seemed to brighten the girl's mood as she responded with a small smile and nod.

Lightning instructed the group to draw out their weapons as the noises increased in volume and they took a battle formation. "Now!" Lightning shouted to the group. Right on cue, a team of seven Bloodbaths leapt from the shadows of the forest and attempted to ambush the cadets, but rather were ambushed themselves due to Lightning's preparation. Both Lightning and Noctis rushed at the Bloodbaths in perfect unison finishing each enemy off with one clean blade stroke before the other cadets had a chance to act.

"That makes 4 to 3, it looks like you're buying Noct." Lightning said with a smirk as she put her sword back in its sheath.

Noctis grunted and sheathed his sword as well feeling frustrated and disappointed. "If only I had swung left rather than right when I had the chance…" The prince muttered, criticizing his performance.

The other four cadets were dumbfounded. "W-What was that all about?" Zidane asked the two older cadets who had quickly dispatched the opposition in a matter of seconds.

Lightning let out a small laugh and took the lead once again, "Just a little friendly competition." She said before walking onward.

Noctis continued to mutter to himself as the group continued onward. He received worried glances from Terra, but Bartz and Zidane reassured her with jokes, occasionally getting a small laugh out of the girl. Shelke walked alongside Lightning exchanging information about their mission trying to learn more about the environment and enemies they were going to face. It wasn't long until more monsters were upon them.

The four rookie cadets decided to take action and brought out their weapons before Noctis and Lightning made a hasty assault once again.

"You guys just sit back and relax!" Zidane told Noctis and Lightning with a bright grin and a wink before taking up a battle stance.

"Yeah! We got this!" Bartz added mimicking Zidane's battle stance.

"I'll try to finish this quickly Ms. Farron. Then we can continue our discussion. I want to learn more about this Scalebeast." Shelke told Lightning as she drew out dual swords.

Terra took up a defensive stance behind the three cadets; she was given the critical role of healing the others with potions in case something bad happened.

"Readyyyy…" Zidane said starting a countdown before the assault.

"Setttttt…" Bartz said tightening his grip on his dual daggers.

"Begin the assault." Shelke commanded signaling the start of the attack.

Lightning and Noctis were surprised at the amount of cooperation and synergy the four had with one another. Zidane would swiftly attack each enemy and dart back paving the way for either Bartz or Shelke to provide heavy blows with Terra dealing the finishing sword stroke. All of the enemies were dispatched quickly as with the previous group. After safely securing their weapons, the four turned and saluted Noctis and Lightning and were surprised to see them smiling let alone applauding.

"I'm surprised at how smoothly that went." Lightning said placing a hand on her hips. "That actually went pretty well."

Noctis crossed his arms and nodded in agreement, "That was pretty impressive. Nice work everyone."

The four cadets beamed upon receiving such wonderful praise from who they thought were the most stoic cadets at the academy.

"Let's move on shall we?" Noctis asked the group seeing Lightning start on the path once again.

"Right!" The four shouted together.

**Paradigm Shift**

After a series of random encounters with enemies, the group managed to dispatch and drive away a large number of enemies. With the fall of the last enemy they encountered, Lightning sheathed her sword and clapped her hands together as if she had just cleaned up a mess.

"Very good, we've met our quota; this area should be secure now." Lightning told her group. "Time to head back."

Zidane and Bartz hopped in the air and high-fived before each thrusted a triumphant fist towards the sky. "I'll be taking a nice long shower when we get back." Zidane said with a wide grin on his face.

Noctis smiled at the carefree nature of his group and had to admit things went very smoothly for their first mission. He was still disappointed because he ended up losing his bet to Lightning by one monster, but he was overall satisfied.

Once the cadets had all their items and weapons secured, they turned around and retraced their steps following the path back to base camp. They all walked together breaking formation and spoke together casually. The four rookie cadets continued to bring up the amazing feats Noctis and Lightning performed with their weapons and grav-con units. Noctis had to admit, he felt slightly embarrassed at all the praise and he could tell Lightning was too.

Their surroundings became more familiar to them and they knew that they were getting close to their base camp. Lightning and Shelke estimated another five to ten minutes and they would see the camp. The six continued to talk with one another, but were suddenly silent when a squeaking noise seemed to fill the air. Lightning quickly turned around placing her hand on the hilt of her sword and saw small bulb like monsters jumping towards them.

Zidane and Bartz looked at one another and smiled, "They look like they want to play some games!" Bartz shouted enthusiastically.

Zidane hopped up in the air, "These little guys don't look too dangerous." Both cadets took off running towards the squeaking monsters but before they could get close, Lightning pulled them both by the color sending them crashing down to the ground.

"O-Owww, w-what was that for Lightning?!" Zidane asked while rubbing his sore back.

Lightning spoke to the group without taking her eyes off the monsters, "Everyone, I need you to run as fast as you can to the base camp. I'll try to hold it off." Everyone could tell from the tone of her voice that the female cadet was serious. All except for Shelke seemed oblivious to the situation.

Noctis protested, "What are you talking about Light? These guys can't-"

"I said MOVE!" Lightning said harshly as she took up her battle stance. "Shelke, instruct the group if for some reason I can't hold it back."

The young girl nodded and took Terra and Bartz by the wrists and took off running, Zidane followed close behind with a confused look on his face.

Noctis refused to budge, "What are you talking about Lightning?" He asked with a hint of frustration. He disliked being kept in the dark.

Before Lightning could respond a horrid screech filled the air. "Just as I thought, it's coming." Lightning murmured. She quickly turned around and faced Noctis, "Get going! I need you to protect those four if something happens!"

Noctis shook his head, "You're not making any sense! What was that?!"

The prince's questions were answered when a giant monster with a giant gaping mouth revealing rows of jagged teeth and tendrils sprouting from its head emerged from the trees. It looked like a twisted form of the smaller bulb like monsters squeaking about.

Noctis froze and stared at the monster, he read about it in the datalog with Lightning, he mentally punched himself for not realizing earlier. The tiny monsters were microchu's and where there are microchus, there was bound to be an ochu somewhere nearby.

"Get going!" Lightning repeated, but before Noctis could move the female soldier took initiative to ensure she got Noctis away from the monsters and activated her grav-con unit and ran at the prince.

Time seemed to slow down as Noctis saw Lightning jump in the air, her foot heading straight for his chest; before the impact he saw her mouth the word "sorry" and in a blink of an eye, Noctis was soaring through the air away from Lightning, leaving her to hold the enemy off alone.

**Paradigm Shift **

"Heads up Bartz!" Zidane shouted as he saw Noctis falling towards them. The two young cadets caught Noctis causing the three of them to fall to the ground.

"You're pretty heavy Noctis." Bartz said trying to catch his breath.

Noctis was too stunned to respond and tried to steady his breathing from having the wind knocked out of him; he had never experienced a kick from Lightning with so much force.

"We must hurry!" Shelke urged the boys as she continued running with Terra. Noctis was still trying to recover so Zidane and Bartz each took one of the prince's arms and helped him run with them.

"S-Shelke…" The prince beckoned the young girl through his exasperated breathing, "Tell me more about those monsters."

**Paradigm Shift**

Lightning performed several backflips evading the charges of the microchus and dispatched each of them quickly, only to have the ochu call out more to take the fallen monsters' places.

"Tch… they just keep coming." Lightning scanned her surroundings and tried to find a means to stall the ochu until backup arrived. She noticed several large trees with very large branches, enough to cause significant damage to the beast if she could find a way to have them fall. The female soldier drew her gun and counted the rounds of ammo she had left.

"Not enough… just my luck. Time for another plan." Lightning said to herself. The monsters refused to let the soldier formulate any new plans as they charged after her once again.

Waves of eight microchus were sent charging towards Lightning; every time she dispatched one group, another would take its place. Lightning lost track of how many microchus she defeated and scolded herself for not being able to engage the ochu.

"Cowardly monster." She said with an annoyed tone in her voice. As the next wave of microchus charged, Lightning activated her grav-con unit and leapt towards the trees. She fired several shots at the small monsters instantly each shot hitting their mark with stunning accuracy. Lightning then leapt at the ochu from above and fired all her remaining shots at the ochu hitting it directly between the eyes causing it to rear back and screech in pain.

"Bull's-eye." Lightning said with a smirk. However, before the soldier was able to make a safe landing, the ochu waved its tendrils and sent an orange cloud of pollen towards the soldier.

Lightning tried to hold her breath but another tendril struck her in midair causing her to take in a breath of the poisonous pollen. With another strike from the tendril, the soldier was sent flying into a tree.

"D-Damn it. I was careless." Lightning scolded herself as she began to cough. She clutched her chest and fell down on one knee as her vision became cloudy. "The poison is already starting to take effect." She punched the ground and struggled to get back up, "I won't lose here."

Just then, Noctis leapt from the trees using his grav-con unit and ambushed the ochu. Before it could react and summon more microchus, the prince had plunged his sword straight between the eyes at the area Lightning had inflicted a major wound. The additional force created by the grav-con unit was just enough for the prince to perform a finishing blow to the beast.

Noctis left the blade in the fallen beast and quickly rushed to Lightning's side. "Y-You idiot." Lightning said as she lost her balance and fell into the prince's arms. "I told you to stay with the-"

"They made it safely to the base camp, more importantly you need to take this Lightning!" Noctis said holding up a vial of the elixir.

Lightning reached for the vial with a shaky hand but felt her body go numb and her chest tighten. She could hear Noctis shout her name with a desperate look on his face before her eyes closed.

'_It can't end like this. I refuse'_

**Paradigm Shift**

Lightning felt warmth as she slowly began to gain consciousness and was shocked to find herself looking up at Noctis's face close to hers, his eyes were closed. The next realization caused her eyes to grow wide. The prince's was holding her in his arms; his warm lips pressed against her own.

**Chapter End**

Xethear: Yes! Stayed up until 1:30 to finish this chapter~

Lightning and Noctis: W-What kind of ending was that?!

Prompto: Where's a camera when you need one, this is good material to embarrass Noct with!

Noctis: Prompto!


	11. Memories of Happier Days

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy does not belong to me

Xethear: Hello everyone! School has been relentless for the past few weeks, apologies for the really late update! Now that I'm on spring break I can hopefully update the next chapters faster! Hope you all enjoy chapter 11!

**Chapter 11: Memories of Happier Days**

Lightning remained motionless from the shock, her body numb yet warm, her lips sealed by the prince's. It took a moment for the soldier to realize that she wasn't hallucinating and once reality hit her she pushed the prince away from her with a powerful shove to the chest.

A furious blush was painted across Noctis's face as Lightning made some distance between them. The small blush also present on Lightning's flustered face only made Noctis's heart beat faster. Just then Lightning walked up to Noctis, her hair concealing her face hiding any emotions behind light pink locks. She forcefully picked him up by his collar and drove her fist into his stomach causing the man to fall back down on the ground clutching his abdomen.

"W-What, what was that for?!" Noctis said coughing up the words. He looked up at Lightning to see an angry expression on her face but despite that, her blush was still present.

"What were you doing?!" Lightning asked furiously grabbing the prince by the collar once again. She clenched her fist once again, but before she could inflict more damage to the prince, he held up an empty elixir bottle to her face. "What happened to the elixir?" She asked releasing the prince from her grip.

Noctis rubbed his stomach and winced from the aftermath of Lightning's punch, "You were… poisoned Lightning…," Noctis coughed,"…and you told us before not to waste a drop." The prince went over to a nearby tree sat down and leaned against the trunk while rubbing his stomach before continuing his explanation. "I tried pouring it in your mouth, but you were unconscious and your mouth was closed so just pouring it wouldn't work considering it's such a small vial so I…" Noctis averted his gaze from the female soldier who was suddenly realizing what had happened. "I sort of drank the elixir and gave it to you through… another method." The blush on Noctis's face had returned and he refused to look Lightning in the eyes. Both remained silent for a moment, too embarrassed to speak to one another.

Noctis sighed as the pain began to subside and slowly rose to his feet, "I suppose we should head back now? Everyone is probably worried." He said to the female soldier and pointed to the direction of the camp.

"Right. Let's get a move on then..." The soldier said swiftly before starting on the path leaving the prince to follow behind her.

As the two cadets made their way passed the thick brush of the forest, the camp began to appear in the clearing with a crowd of cadets to welcome them back. As soon as they entered the clearing their friends charged after them and surrounded them with concerned looks on their faces and a barrage of questions.

"You're a mess Light!" Vanille exclaimed as she began wiping an annoyed Lightning's face with a moist towel.

Fang crossed her arms and examined Lightning from the top of her head to her boots, "What happened out there Sunshine? We expect you to be able to take down a little Ochu."

Hope handed the female soldier a bottle of water, "The other cadets told us what happened." He explained.

Sazh came over with a first aid kit and handed it over to Vanille who quickly unpacked it and began dressing Lightning's wounds.

As the female soldier received first aid as well as more questions from her friends, Noctis had decided to walk back to his barracks along with his friends. Gladiolus and Prompto walked at Noctis's sides and each threw one arm over the prince's neck.

"An Ochu huh Noct?" Prompto said out loud as the men continued to walk towards their barracks, "You should have told us, we would have been able to help out Noct."

Ignis walked ahead of the three men, "Indeed Noct, it's best you avoid rash thinking. You had us all worried when your squad came back shouting at everyone that an Ochu had attacked."

Gladiolus laughed and patted Noctis on the back, "Give him a break, he had to go help out his _princess_. You both would have done the same."

The word princess caused Noctis's heart to skip a beat and his face to heat up as it caused him to recall what he had done to Lightning in the forest. _'I never expected a soldier of her caliber to have such warm and soft lips-' _Noctis violently shook his head dismissing the thought which caused his friends to stare at him with a questioning look on their faces.

"Everything alright Noct?" Prompto asked a flustered looking Noctis.

"I-It's nothing." Noctis said quickly before entering his tent. "I need to be alone for a moment guys, I'm alright." The prince said behind the tent flaps.

Prompto, Gladiolus and Ignis all exchanged concerned glances but fulfilled the prince's wishes by leaving to rendezvous with their teams.

**Paradigm Shift**

Lightning had returned to her tent along with her friends excluding Hope who ran off to find Lightning a meal to help her regain her energy. She took the time to fill everyone in on what happened and decided to fill Hope in on the parts he missed afterwards.

"And that's the gist of it." Lightning said taking a drink of water as she concluded her report to her friends on her encounter with the ochu. The soldier told her friends everything, except the detail of how Noctis gave her the elixir.

Vanille stared at Lightning her eyes filled with excitement, "The way you tell it it's like we were there with you Light! I still can't believe it, an ochu that close to base camp."

Lightning crossed her arms, "It surprised me too considering they shouldn't even be this close to the outskirts of Bodhum."

At that moment the tent flaps opened and an out of breath Hope walked in balancing a plate of Gysahl Salad and Fond de Behemoth in his arms. "C-Can someone helped me with this?!" Hope asked frantically afraid that he may lose his balance and drop the dishes at any moment.

Thankfully Sazh came over and relieved Hope's burden as he took the plate of Fond de Behemoth and set it on a small table in front of Lightning.

Lightning looked stunned as she stared at the meal that was presented in front of her, "You didn't have to go and get all this Hope." She said feeling guilt well up inside her.

Hope responded with a smile, "Don't worry about it Light, this is small compared to the things you do for us."

"Little Hope is right Sunshine." Fang added while polishing her spear. "You need to get some of that energy and fiery spirit back."

"Eat up Ms. Soldier." Sazh said giving Lightning a fork and knife. "I'll be out to give your report to one of the lieutenants."

Lightning nodded thanking the man before he left and began to eat the food her friends got for her. Knowing that it was something that came from her friends made it taste amazing and she knew she would be better in no time flat.

**Paradigm Shift**

As soon as he got home Noctis went upstairs, locked the door of his room, threw his bag by his bedside and collapsed on his bed. The events which unfolded in the forest played in his head nonstop throughout the day causing the prince to act jumpy whenever he happened upon Lightning. Everyone admired him for defeating the ochu with Lightning. The cadets in their squad thanked them and the lieutenants praised them for their feat. At the end of the day both Noctis and Lightning were called up to the stage and were given a round of applause; however, everyone found it strange that neither cadet looked at the other and kept a distance of about three meters.

Noctis threw one arm over his eyes and groaned as he recalled the expression Lightning had on her face on their way back to base camp. She seemed troubled and the faint blush on her face gave Noctis a hint as of why because he was feeling the same thing – indirectly, that was his first kiss.

'_There's no reason to be nervous around her Noctis. She was poisoned; you had to give her the elixir somehow.' _The prince told himself in his head, but it didn't calm his nerves. No matter what reassuring thing he tried to tell himself, part of him continued to suspect that Lightning felt he did it on purpose.

Noctis groaned and turned on his bed so that he was facing the wall. "I probably shouldn't show up at tomorrows practice." He murmured to himself softly. The prince suddenly felt his eyes grow heavy and quickly fell asleep.

**Paradigm Shift**

Lightning thanked Sazh and her friends for driving her back home with a wave of her hand and walked up to her front door. As soon as she unlocked the door and turned the knob the door flew open and she stared at a tear stricken Serah who came running towards her. The young Farron quickly threw her arms around Lightning and began sobbing uncontrollably as she tried to speak.

"I-I'm so glad you're home L-Light…" Serah managed to say choking out the words. She buried her face in Lightning's uniform and continued to sob, "I don't want to lose you too."

Lightning was filled with guilt knowing that she caused her sister to worry about her; she never wanted Serah to know what had happened earlier in the day. Placing the thought aside Lightning returned Serah's hug and held her sister tightly. "It's alright now Serah, remember who you're talking too. I won't lose so easily." She said in a soft comforting tone and stroked Serah's hair. Serah began to calm down and her sobs began to cease as she found security in her sister's embrace.

The siblings found their way to the couch and sat down together; Lightning turned the tv on just so that there was a little sound in the room. Serah wiped the tears that still remained on her face with the palm of her hand and took deep breaths in order to calm down and relax.

Lightning smiled realizing how strong her sister was and pat her sister on her head, "So how did you find out Serah? I never wanted to make you worry."

A warm smile appeared on Serah's face as she found her sister's sign of affection to be very comforting. Her voice was still a little shaky when she responded, but she was recovering quickly, "S-Snow told me." Serah confessed to her sister.

At that moment Snow walked into the living room carrying a plate filled with food, "Hey Serah is it alright if I eat this-"The blonde suddenly froze when he met Lightning's steely glare and before he knew it he was standing outside of Lightning's house, the door shut and a fresh black eye present on his face. Snow laughed and scratched the back of his head, "I didn't expect her to be home already."

From behind the door he could hear the two siblings bickering, "Light! You didn't have to go and do that! Snow was comforting me all this time!" Snow smiled knowing Serah was defending him.

"Serah, I came home to you tear stricken! Is that his idea of comfort? And he was obviously raiding our refrigerator!" Lightning retorted causing Snow to groan from the other side of the door.

"Ha ha… they seem to be feeling better." Snow said to himself as the two Farron sisters continued their argument.

**Paradigm Shift**

Noctis woke up from his nap and glanced at his chocobo clock; it was late and from the lack of shouting in the house he knew his friends must have gone to bed. Feeling renewed energy from his nap; the prince rose up from his bed and stretched before picking his bag up from the floor. He unzipped the bag and rummaged through the contents until he felt what he was searching for. Noctis pulled his hand out from his bag and along with it, the small empty vial which had held the contents of the elixir. The moonlight which shone from his bedroom window reflected off the glass of the vile beautifully which reminded the prince of a special memory.

Noctis closed his eyes and clenched the vial in the palm of his hand as he recollected.

_It was a beautiful night. The sky was cloudless revealing a star splashed night sky._

"_What is this flower called?" A young Noctis asked a woman with hair the color of the night sky, the same color as the prince's. _

_She was tending to a small bed of flowers and gave Noctis a smile as he held up a flower which had yet to bloom. "Of all the flowers in the garden, you've sure selected a rare one Noctis." The woman said ruffling the prince's hair causing him to blush and pout. "This one is called Vespere Lux, it's very rare. _

"_Vespere… Lux?" Noctis repeated. _

_The woman nodded, "This rose is unique just like you my little prince. Would you like to help me plant it?" She asked Noctis who replied with a grin and a nod. _

_After digging a bed for the flower the woman gave Noctis a small nod letting the prince know it was okay for him to place the flower in the ground. Despite being really eager, Noctis kept calm and gently lowered the flower into the hole. Once it was safely in place the woman placed her hands over Noctis's and helped him cover the roots of the flower with a generous amount of soft soil. _

_Moonlight shimmered through the glass ceiling sheltering the flowers and bathed everything in a magical light. Noctis looked at everything in awe; it was unlike anything he had ever seen. _

_The woman smiled warmly at Noctis and held out her hand which Noctis took hold of. "Noctis, take a look at the flower you planted." The woman said directing Noctis towards the flower. _

_Noctis stared wide eyed as the small bud began to bloom revealing crystal like petals with the colors of the morning sky. _

"_W-Wow." The prince said in complete amazement. "It looks just like the sky mother!" Noctis said energetically as he looked up at the woman. _

_Noctis's mother gave his hand a light squeeze and smiled warmly at her son. "It's very special Noctis, this is your flower now."_

_Noctis gave his mother a big grin, "I'll always think of you and father and my friends when I look at it!" _

_Noctis's mother gave Noctis a gentle kiss on the forehead and the two began walking towards the castle. "They say Vespere Lux is a symbol of love Noctis."_

"_It makes sense mother." Noctis said as he walked alongside his mother. "When I look at it, I think of the people I love."_

Noctis opened his eyes and stared at the empty elixir vial in his hands. There was a small tear resting on top of the vial. Noctis places a hand on his face and felt moisture. He sighed and placed the vial on his desk before lying back down in his bed.

"You sure have a way of telling me things mother." Noctis whispered. "I've met someone whose eyes look just like Vespere Lux."

**End Chapter**

Xethear: Apologies again for the late update everyone, now that I'm on spring break I can hopefully finish work and update a little faster next time! Thank you all for your patience and I shall try and make the next chapter longer than this one!

Noctis and Lightning: You need some Fond de Behemoth to restore your energy.

Xethear: Does it really taste good?


	12. The Hanging Edge

Disclaimer: The magic that is Final Fantasy does not belong to me.

Xethear: Hello everyone, many thanks to everyone who read the last chapter! I would like to give thanks the guest(s) that have been leaving me reviews every now and then! Seeing the readers enjoy Noctis and Lightning's story so far really urges me to write more! Many thanks again and now chapter 12!

**Chapter 12: The Hanging Edge**

Lightning tossed and turned in bed wrinkling the neat sheets as she tried to fall asleep. Every time she closed her eyes the scene from the forest with Noctis appeared in her head and she would immediately open them once again and stare at the ceiling. After the fifth failed attempt at trying to get some sleep Lightning rose up from her bed, turned on the lights and went over to her desk where her training sword was resting. _'Getting in some practice should use up some energy.' _She told herself silently as she picked up the sword.

With swift fluid motions Lightning flipped and slashed the empty spaces around her room with power and grace. She visualized the monsters she had fought in the forest and clenched her teeth in frustration. "I could have taken them down easily. Why was I so distracted?" Lightning murmured as she clenched the hilt of her training sword. She shook her head and imagined the monsters before her and slashed each of her imaginary opponents.

After working up a sweat she set the sword aside and grabbed a dry towel resting on the chair by her desk and wrapped it around her shoulders before wiping off the droplets on her face. She then placed her fingers on her lips and blushed as her expression turned sour. "Why won't this feeling go away?" She whispered to herself as an image of Noctis's concerned faced appeared in her head.

Just then, Lightning heard a knock on her door followed by Serah's voice. "Lightning? Are you alright?" Her sister asked, her voice muffled by the closed door. Rather than answering her sister's question Lightning responded by opening the door allowing her sister entrance to her room.

"The lights were on so I figured you were still awake don't you have class tomorrow sis? You need your rest." Serah noticed the faint blush on her sister's face and immediately became concerned for her sister's health as she quickly placed her hand on Lightning's forehead. "What's wrong Light?! You're a little warm, did you get all your wounds treated properly?!" She asked frantically, obviously concerned for her sister's wellbeing.

Lightning let out a small laugh as she walked over to her bed and sat down. "Relax Serah, I probably have a bit of a temperature because I just finished some sword practice."

Serah placed a hand over her chest and let out a sigh of relief; she then frowned at her sister and crossed her arms, "You had me worried there Lightning. Why are you practicing in the middle of the night? You really do need your rest." Serah said as she sat down beside her sister.

Lightning sighed and placed her elbow on her thigh and rested her head on her hand, "The truth is I can't seem to fall asleep." She confessed to Serah.

Serah tapped a finger against her chin as she thought about her sister's response. "That's strange…" Serah said as she rose from the bed and began to pace around the room. "You only suffer from insomnia when you tend to be really anxious." Serah said as she recalled the times her sister had stayed up wide awake.

A surprised expression appeared on Lightning's face as she gave her sister's analysis some thought. The last time she had trouble falling asleep was the night she was awaiting the results of her first cadet evaluation. She didn't get a wink of sleep that night and rather spent most of her time either swinging her training sword around or staring at the night sky. She had to admit she was anxious that time, but this time her feelings were directed towards a person rather than a test result.

"Lightning?" Serah called her sister's name causing the woman to look up and stare at her sibling as if she had just said the magic word to snap her out of hypnosis.

"What is it?" Lightning asked cluelessly.

Serah sighed and placed her hand on her forehead as if she had a headache, before shaking her head, "You didn't pay attention to what I said huh sis?"

Lightning gave her sister a confused look causing her sister to smile. "I asked what you were feeling anxious about Light." Serah said.

"O-Oh." Lightning responded hesitantly as she straightened up. She quickly shuffled through various excuses to tell Serah in her head to avoid having to talk about Noctis when she suddenly thought of something Serah told her one day.

'_Light, ever since you joined Guardian Corp we haven't had much time to spend together.'_

"I wanted to surprise you Serah." Lightning confessed enabling her to avoid the topic of Noctis. "I thought about what you said before about not being able to spend time with one another, and you're right." Lightning stood up and went to her desk and picked up her bag resting on the flat surface of the desk. She opened the bag and searched pushing aside the various amounts of books until she found what she was looking for, a small folded piece of paper sticking out from her notebook. After retrieving the small piece of paper, Lightning placed the note between her lips as her hands were full and closed her bag before walking to Serah.

"I suddenly forgot about it when the new class year began, but…" Lightning unfolded the piece of paper and handed it to her sister, "Here."

Serah took the paper and read the contents with a curious expression on her face, which suddenly became excitement. "Vacation spots?!" Serah shouted out loud.

Lightning smiled and nodded, "Each cadet has a week worth's of vacation time and can make up for missed assignments by taking on special missions relating to the subject. I think we can both use some time off." Lightning said as she glanced over at her training sword.

Serah eyed her sister suspiciously, "The last time we went on vacation you brought all your equipment with you and trained." She said suspecting that her sister would do the same thing and her suspicions intensified as her sister tensed up.

"You know I don't like to fall behind in my assignments Serah." Lightning said hoping her sister would understand.

Serah sighed and hid her face behind the list of vacation spots. "It's not a vacation if you still have to train…" Lightning heard her mumble softly.

Lightning couldn't help but feel slight guilt knowing there was truth behind her sister's words, "Alright Serah, I'll try to tone down my training session on our vacation." She said giving her sister a smile.

Serah slowly lowered the list revealing a pout on her face as she walked over to Lightning and raised her pinky. "Promise?" She said waiting for her sister's response.

Lightning sighed and locked pinkies with her sister, "Promise." She said with one of her rare gentle smiles.

Serah beamed at her sister's response and gave her a hug, "Thanks Light! I'll do some research on these vacation spots and I'll let you know what I come up with!"

Lightning nodded and ruffled her sister's cherry blossom hair before she went to the door to go to her room.

"Be sure to get some rest Light." Serah told her sister as she shut the light switch off and then waited at the door for her sister's response. The light from the hallway illuminated Lightning and she waved to her sister showing her that she heard her sister's request earning a smile from Serah. "Goodnight Light." Serah said softly before the door closed softly.

Lightning was once again left in the subtle darkness of her room, but rather than feeling the anxiety she felt inside her before, she felt happy and calm and found it easy to settle into her bed. She stared at her ceiling imagining the stars behind it for several minutes and was soon fast asleep.

**Paradigm Shift**

"Vacation?" Noctis repeated the word Prompto had brought up at the lunch table.

The blond responded with an enthusiastic grin followed with a nod as he continued to chew his food. "Why not Noct? Sure we haven't been in Bodhum for too long but all the more reason to go on vacation!" Prompto looked over at Ignis who paid little attention to the topic and then to Gladiolus who was taking a big bite of his steak. Prompto sighed at his friends lack of excitement, "This place is famous for tourist attractions! It would be a waste not to see them; unless you guys would like to see another tourist attraction elsewhere and save Bodhum for last?" Prompto suddenly snapped his fingers which told Noctis that an idea had come to his friend. "Bodhum's famous fireworks show takes place later on in the year! We can save that for last and-"

Ignis interrupted as he released a sigh and adjusted the rim of his glasses with a push of his finger, "We didn't come here to go on vacation Prompto." He told the blond who held an unamused look on his face.

"I expected that answer from you Prompto." Prompto turned to Gladiolus whose steak vanished from his plate. "You finished your food already?!" Prompto said in disbelief but quickly shook his astonishment away, "Well what do you think Gladiolus?"

Gladiolus picked at his teeth trying to get at a small leftover piece of steak out and sighed with satisfaction after succeeding. "It sounds good to me." He said as he sunk in his chair. "It'll give us new experiences."

Prompto mouthed the word "yes" as he thrusted his fist in the air and quickly turned to Noctis. "Well how 'bout it Noct?"

Noctis had been stealing glances at Lightning as always since the start of the lunch break and failed to acknowledge his friend's question earning him a small nudge to his arm. "W-What?" Noctis responded as he turned his attention away from the female soldier and to his friend.

Prompto raised his eyebrow and grinned, "You could go over and talk to her you know. I thought you two were over this since you were both partnered up for the dispatch mission and trained all those times together." Prompto crossed his arms and closed his eyes, "But ever since the dispatch missions you two have been on edge."

Noctis was caught off guard at his friend's accuracy and questioned whether or not his actions and emotions were easily given away. Nevertheless Noctis tried to shield his emotions once again as he cleared his throat and spoke in a cool unwavering tone, "All we are, are fellow cadets."

Prompto rolled his eyes and rose from the table and cupped his hands over his mouth, "Hey Ms. Farron! Noctis here wants to have a chat with you!" Prompto yelled across the room for everyone to hear causing Noctis's inside's to churn with embarrassment.

The prince quickly pulled Prompto down into his seat and glared at the blond who quickly scooted away from Noctis suspecting that he would soon feel the prince's rage. Luckily Lightning came over to the table before Noctis had a chance to do anything.

Prompto wiped the sweat of his brow knowing he had avoided a scolding from the prince, "Thanks for coming over when you did Lightning, you sure saved me."

"What is it Noctis?" Lightning asked completely ignoring Prompto who practically fell out of his chair.

"Hey now, am I that unnoticeable?" Prompto asked the stoic soldier.

Lightning gave Prompto an irritated look like he had just woken her up from a deep slumber, "Want me to give you the truth or a lie?" She said coldly.

"Lie please!" Prompto said quickly hoping to hear a compliment from the stern soldier for once. However, his expectations were shattered when she responded.

"You stand out like a thorn in my side just like another person I know." She said with a glare which caused Prompto to scoot away from her as well.

Gladiolus laughed and walked over to Prompto who was huddled in his chair, "Looks like she was going to give you the truth regardless of what you answered." Gladiolus said as he pat the sulking Prompto on the back.

"S-She and Noct are a perfect match." Prompto shivered at the thought of the two of them scolding him.

After emotionally scarring Prompto who was rocking back and forth in his seat, Lightning pulled Noctis away and began to lead him to the training room. Whatever it was he had to tell her she figured there would be no distractions there.

Noctis had no time to react as Lightning pulled him by the arm and in no time flat they were behind the doors of the training room.

"Alright, what is it?" Lightning asked as she crossed her arms and drummed her fingers impatiently against her arm.

"I'm sorry?" Noctis asked completely dumbfounded at Lightning's question.

"Didn't you have something to tell me?" Lightning asked sounding slightly annoyed.

"Not in particular." The prince said bluntly.

"But your friend-"

"Prompto did that because he felt that I should talk to you considering…" Noctis let his sentence trail off and averted Lightning's piercing gaze.

"Considering…?" Lightning repeated curious to what the prince was going to say.

Noctis looked as though he was a child trying to hide an embarrassing secret from his friends, "N-Nothing." He said and headed towards the door.

This made Lightning even more curious, they were now battle partners and secrets between them would disrupt their synergy even further. "Wait!" Lightning shouted and ran after the prince. She quickly took hold of his wrist and gave him a forceful tug in order to stop him, but rather than stopping the prince in his tracks, Lightning underestimated the force she applied in her pull and sent the prince falling back sending both cadets crashing to the ground.

Lightning could feel a small sting surge through the back of her head as she hit the floor but the pain quickly dissipated as she stared into the prince's crystal blue eyes. Noctis began to blush and in turn a small blushed appeared on Lightning's face as well. The soldier quickly turned her head away from the prince hiding the small streak of pink on her face with her cherry blossom hair and noticed that her head was on top of Noctis's hand. _'Did he cushion my fall?'_

As soon as Noctis confirmed that Lightning was okay he quickly got off her and helped her up, "S-Sorry about that." He said nervously trying to keep his heart from pounding against his chest.

Lightning shook her head, "No it's fine. Thanks… but your hand." Lightning looked at the Noctis's bruised left hand which he had used to cushion her fall.

Noctis gave her a smile and held his hand up, "This is nothing." He said and tried to form his hand into a fist which he found slightly difficult as a surge of pain shot up through his hand.

Lightning noticed the prince wince and quickly removed the belt from her khaki coat and began to bind the prince's injury. "You idiot. I never asked you to do that, it was my fault we fell." She mumbled as she fashioned the makeshift splint for Noctis's hand. "There, that should do for now."

Noctis found it easier to move his fingers thanks to the support but then looked at Lightning and scanned her incomplete uniform. "Won't you need this back?" Noctis asked her pointing to her belt.

Lightning raised up her hand and shook her head, "I can ask the commanding officers for a spare, just return it to me when your hand is better." She said with slight guilt.

"Thanks Light." The prince said softly as he stared at Lightning's guilty expression. He had to admit, he found her expressions cute, whether it be happy, angry or even apologetic. "Don't worry about it, Lightning, it was my choice, I'm not about to let my partner get hurt now."

'_Partner…' _The word seemed bittersweet to Lightning as it rang in her head. She gave Noctis a small smile, "Alright…" She murmured as she walked with him to the door. A sudden thought suddenly entered her mind and she let out a sigh.

Noctis raised his eyebrow, "What is it?" He asked curiously.

"…for lunch…" Lightning mumbled her words making it difficult for the prince to understand.

"What was that?" He asked her again.

"What would you like for lunch?" Lightning asked him in an irritated tone.

Noctis's expression was the face of confusion, "What would I… oh!" Realization suddenly hit him. "The bet…"

The word "bet" made Lightning flinch reminding her that Noctis had finished the ochu off making him the technical winner of their friendly competition.

Noctis pointed at his "bandaged" hand to Lightning and let out a small laugh, "We can call it even." He said with a smile.

Lightning shook her head, "I lost, it's fine, I'm not about to go back on my word."

The tone of her voice told the him that she was serious and he let out a sigh, "It's fine Lightning, besides…" he stopped midsentence as he slid his ID card through the scanner causing the doors to open. He took a step outside and stood in silence for a moment before turning to face Lightning, the blush had returned to his face. "I received a better prize from you than lunch."

Lightning gave him a confused look as the doors began to close and watched as Noctis slowly raised his hand up to his lips. By the time Lightning had realized what the prince met the doors had already shut leaving Lightning alone in the training room, along with a pounding heart and furious blush.

**End Chapter**

Xethear: Lightning and Noctis are too embarrassed to add any commentary at the moment, so with me today is Prompto!

Prompto: Hello everyone! The plan is about to be put into action! Look forward to it!


	13. The Thirteenth Day

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy does not belong to me.

Xethear: Hello everyone, I'd like to thank you all for your patience! Finals in school are still rolling around and projects have been a hassle. Here is chapter 13!

**Chapter 13: The Thirteenth Day**

Lightning fired a series of shots at several stationary training dummies in the training room after her conversation with Noctis in order to clear her head. She was horrified to find that a majority of the shots she fired missed the targets completely and watched as they stood motionless and unscathed as if mocking her in silence. "T-This can't be happening." Lightning murmured to herself in frustration as she clenched her weapon tightly. She slowly walked over to the bench she usually occupied and sat down before placing her training equipment at the foot of the bench. The cadet then removed her gloves and stared at her trembling hands before clenching them into fists; she debated whether or not the trembling was due to her lack of sleep or if she was running a fever, but after quickly placing her hand on her forehead she found it to be warm, but she wasn't running a bad temperature.

Feeling completely defeated Lightning stared at the floor and the image of the prince's blushing face appeared on the surface. "Stupid…" Lightning muttered under her breath as she covered the blush on her face with the palm of her hand. She closed her eyes and thought of Serah which reminded her of the vacation they were planning together. "This will be good…" Lightning said with a sigh of relief. "I'll finally get to spend more time with Serah and sort out my thoughts."

Lightning felt refreshed at the thought and picked up her weapon and walked to the armory. Before returning the weapon the soldier took a deep breath and spun around quickly firing a single shot at one of the targets once again.

"Bullseye."

**Paradigm Shift**

Noctis sunk into his seat and stared at the sky through the window of the car during the ride back home. Prompto had been suggesting vacation areas throughout the whole day to the group passing notes in class and nudging them and whispering to them about various vacation spots. Even though Prompto was the one exerting energy, Noctis couldn't help but find the ordeal exhausting by simply being a target of his energetic friend's plan.

"Alrighty guys, how does the thirteenth of this month sound?" The blond proposed during the car ride home.

Gladiolus yawned and let his head fall back against the seat before shutting his eyes, "You know I'm all for it Prompto." The man mumbled as his breathing became more relaxed as his eyes slowly began to close beckoning the man to sleep.

"For how long do you propose this break will last Prompto?" Ignis asked without taking his attention off the road, eyes darting to the mirrors making note of the cars blind spots.

"Maybe two or three days?" Prompto said sticking up his fingers.

Ignis sighed, "I suppose… that sounds reasonab-"

"Or we can make it a few days longer!" Prompto exclaimed which startled Ignis causing the man to jerk the steering wheel on reflex causing the car to jolt violently. Gladiolus was woken from his few seconds of sleep and Noctis's attention was averted from the sky to an angry looking Ignis who had regained control of the car and quickly parked the car on the side of the road before turning his attention to Prompto.

"Never shout like that in the car again!" Ignis fumed.

Prompto raised his hands up defensively, "S-Sorry about that Ignis, I was just excited is all. And look! You're the one shouting in the car now." He said with a small chuckle.

The look on Ignis's face showed Noctis that he was unamused and Noctis shook his head knowing that an argument would soon erupt.

Moments later the car was filled with the men shouting at one another. Noctis rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to the clouds floating in the sky painted gold by the sunset. The wispy clouds floated slowly as Noctis rested his head against the window and gazed at them as they gradually began to take shape.

"We'll continue this when we get to the house." Ignis said ending the argument as he turned the ignition on bringing the car back to life.

Prompto sighed and saw Noctis staring up at the sky from one of the car's side mirrors and out of curiosity, turned his attention to the golden sky as well. "Wow, I can see why you stare out windows now Noct, the scenery is amazing."

"Huh?" Noctis answered back obliviously as he heard Prompto say his name.

The blond laughed, "The sky looks nice during this time." He clarified to the prince and turned his attention to the clouds.

Gladiolus yawned and looked out the window as well. The breathtaking scenery caused the man to whistle and smile and even Ignis took a swift second to glance out the window after making sure the roads were clear.

Noctis smiled, relieved that the mood in the car went from heated to calm in a matter of moments.

"Oh!" Prompto shouted suddenly causing Ignis to glare at him from the corner of his eyes. Prompto cringed and remembered their argument, "O-Oh!" He whispered earning a nod from Ignis and a laugh from Gladiolus. "That cloud looks a bit like a feather!" He said pointing at one of the wispy clouds in the sky.

"A chocobo feather." Gladiolus added.

"Right!" Prompto said in agreement. "How 'bout you Noct? What do you see?" Prompto asked the prince who seemed like he was in a trance.

"Her hair…" Noctis said without thinking.

Prompto raised an eyebrow and grinned, "Her _hair_?" Prompto repeated.

Hearing the words leave Prompto's mouth alerted the prince and he panicked. "W-What?" He responded almost immediately.

"Whose hair?" Prompto asked slyly maintaining the grin on his face.

"I-I never said that!" Noctis said completely flustered. "I said a… a flare."

Prompto looked unconvinced, "What kind of flares have you seen Gladiolus? Feathery ones?" Prompto said as he looked up at the wispy clouds in the sky.

Gladiolus laughed and threw an arm around a grumbling Noctis, "Don't tease the prince Prompto or you won't get dinner."

The sudden realization of the power Noctis had over food hit Prompto square in the face and he shuddered as he saw the gleam in the prince's eyes. "T-Take it easy Noct, I was only joking." Prompto said in a bit of a panic. "Please cook me some food too." The blonde whined causing the others in the car to laugh.

**Paradigm Shift **

Lightning held an irritated expression on her face as she stared at the burnt remains of some meat she had tried to fry in a pan. The frying pan erupted into flames earlier and thankfully, Serah was close and was able to quickly douse the flames with an extinguisher. Serah coughed as the smoke began to clear and waved her hand around in order to clear out the remaining smoke which hung over the kitchen like a suffocating mist. After the smoke had cleared Serah glanced over at her sister and quickly covered her mouth with her hands to keep from laughing; Lightning had tied her hair in a messy bun before attempting the daunting task of cooking dinner and the aftermath caused her hair to look even messier.

"I don't understand how you manage to do this every day Serah." Lightning said with a sigh as she blew a loose strand of her hair which fell over her face.

"It's not that hard Light, and this was better than last time! You didn't burn the pan this time, that's improvement!" Serah said stifling her laughter.

"Very funny." Lightning said as she poked the burnt meat with a fork; the modest slice of meat was now a shriveled up shard resembling a rock. Lightning picked the piece of food up and held it up to her face and stared at the result of her cooking performance with disappointment.

Serah quickly stopped giggling and held out her hand. "Wait Light! You don't mean to-"

Before Serah could finish her sentence Lightning took a bite out of the burnt shard and immediately covered her mouth as she coughed into her hand.

Serah quickly ran to get a glass of water for her sister and quickly returned handing the glass over to Lightning who quickly drank the water to cleanse her mouth of the burnt, bitter taste. Serah flinched as Lightning coughed several more times before finishing the water.

"You really shouldn't have done that Light." Serah said as she took her sister by the arm and coaxed her to sit down. "Leave dinner to me!" She said placing a fist over her chest proudly.

Lightning groaned and slumped over the table resting her head on her arms. "I'm not giving up. I will get better." She mumbled which made Serah smile.

"That's the Light I know!" She said patting her sister on the head.

Soon the kitchen was filled with the pleasant aroma of Serah's cooking; Lightning couldn't help but look over her sister's shoulder in order to observe what she was doing. Before Serah turned around Lightning quickly looked away pretending as if she wasn't paying attention at all.

"So have you decided where you want to go on vacation Serah?" Lightning asked as she stared at the contents of the pan from the corner of her eyes.

Serah responded with a smile and nod as she produced a folded piece of paper from her pocket and unfolded it before flattening it on the kitchen table. "Ta-da!" She said excitedly.

Lightning stared at a magnificent amusement park surrounded by water; bold print was written across the paper reading "Nautilus the City of Dreams!" She had heard of the amusement park, famous for its parades.

"Nautilus huh…" Lightning said with a smirk as she saw her sister's grinning face.

"Yeah! I heard it's a lot of fun and people from around the world go there as well!" Serah said trying to contain her excitement. "Is it alright if we go there Light?" Serah asked grasping her sister's hands.

"You know this wasn't one of the places I had on the list right?" Lightning said without emotion making Serah nervous.

"Please Lighttt?" Serah pleaded looking at her sister with a puppy like expression.

Lightning sighed and shrugged off Serah's grip, "When did you plan on us leaving?"

"Is that a yes then?!" Serah asked eagerly.

Lightning patted Serah on her head, "When?" She repeated.

"Does the 13th sound good?" Serah said with a gentle smile.

Lightning pondered for a moment; she knew there was no class or work to be done on the 13th and commended her sister for her thoughtfulness. "That sounds reasonable." Lightning said earning a squeal from sister.

Serah threw her arms around her sister's neck and brought her into a suffocating hug in order to express her gratitude. "Thank you Light!" She shouted squeezing her sister in her arms.

"O-Okay! T-That's enough Serah!" Lightning said struggling to escape her sister's embrace.

Serah quickly released her sister, "S-Sorry Light! I was just really happy." She apologized.

"I-It's fine…" Lightning said with a cough as she rubbed her neck, "You sure do have a strong hug."

Serah giggled, "Thanks Light."

"Be sure you have everything you need by then alright Serah? The 13th is only a few days away." Lightning said notifying her sister.

"You bet Light!" Serah said taking a mental note of the date.

Suddenly a bitter smell hit Lightning's nose and she looked towards the frying pan to see smoke beginning to form. "Serah! The food!" Lightning shouted running towards the pan.

"H-Huh?" Serah said taken off guard. She looked towards the pan and jumped to find the smoke appearing.

"H-How do we stop it Serah?" Lightning asked slightly panicked.

"L-Leave it to me!" Serah shouted before instructing her sister on how to save their dinner.

**Paradigm Shift**

"Alright, alright, I'm in. Now please let me have some rest Prompto." Noctis shouted out to his friend who was constantly banging on his bedroom door.

"What? Really?!" Noctis heard his friend's muffled voice through his door. Right after Noctis heard rapid footsteps as his friend ran downstairs to notifying Ignis and Gladiolus. Noctis sighed and sunk into his soft mattress, "Finally…" he murmured softly, relieved to be able to get some rest. He heard the wind howl a solemn tune muffled by the glass of his window which relaxed him even more.

He closed his eyes and saw Lightning's blushing face once again as the event in the training room replayed in his head. "Tch… I shouldn't have said that." Noctis said scolding himself. "It sounds so cliché now…" He lifted his hand up and brought it to his lips, pausing just centimeters before his fingers and lips touched. His father's words rang in his head once again. "No distractions…" Noctis said with a sigh allowing his hand to fall down to his side. "Must I really have to forget?" He said with a melancholic tone in his voice. "I don't… I don't want to."

'_Emotions… unless you cast them aside, you may never grow strong. They will injure you. And you will never defeat me.'_

A cold voice whispered in Noctis's head and he quickly rose up to scan his surroundings. It was as if the person was in the room with him. After confirming that no one else was in the room Noctis fell back in bed and listened to the wind continue lullaby.

**Paradigm Shift**

Noctis awoke a few hours later to Prompto banging on his door once again. "Hey Noctttt, what's for dinnerrrr?" Prompto whined behind the door.

Noctis sighed and rose from his bed before stretching his arms and legs. He opened his bedroom door and greeted his friend with a sour expression and a bad case of bed head. "I'll take care of it." Noctis said and yawned.

Prompted laughed at the prince's appearance, "Nice look Noct, you should go to class like that one day." He said jokingly.

"You forget the one you're teasing is in charge of the meal for the night. Do you really want table scraps Prompto?" Noctis said emotionlessly as he began walking towards the stairs.

"S-Sorry." Prompto said apologetically as he scratched the back of his head and caught up with the prince.

After an hour the four friends were seated in their respective spots in the living room in front of the tv as they ate on another of Noctis's amazing meals.

"So any idea where we're going?" Gladiolus asked his mouth still full of food.

Prompto laughed mischievously, "You guys will see! Leave everything to me." Prompto said continuing his meal.

Noctis and Ignis eyed the blond suspiciously but decided that if he truly was dedicated to the vacation, that they would leave things to him.

**Paradigm Shift**

Lightning and Serah arrived at the train station with a couple of minutes to spare. Serah spent the entire morning searching for things to pack which held the siblings back several minutes behind schedule, the vacation date had arrived so fast. Lightning was relieved to know that they hadn't missed their train.

"See, I told you we'd make it Light." Serah said as she tried to catch her breath. Lightning had her run along with her to their train to make sure they were on time.

"Better safe than sorry." Lightning said as she surveyed their surroundings. There were a lot of people boarding the train, however it was to be expected knowing how much renown Nautilus had. "Be sure you stay close, I don't want to lose you in this crowd Ser-" Before Lightning could finish her instructions to her sister a loud shout called out to her and her sister. The voice made her freeze for a moment. "No…" Lightning said and formed her hands into fists.

"There you all are! This crowd is crazy huh Serah?" Snow said giving Serah a hug. "Don't worry though! I'll protect you!" He said pounding his fists together. Serah giggled at her fiancée's abundance of enthusiasm.

"What are you doing here?" Lightning asked the blond coldly.

"Hello to you to sis." Snow said with a grin. "We're going to Nautilus aren't we?"

Lightning crossed her arms, "WE, Serah and I only."

Before Lightning could lose her temper Serah intervened. "I-It's alright Light, I invited some people. We'll spend some time together though! I just thought it would be really fun if everyone was here…" She said softly.

Lightning sighed, "Next time inform me alright?" She said before glaring at Snow who held his ground nervously.

Serah responded with a nod and gave her sister another hug. Snow was about to join in but froze as he met Lightning's eyes once again and saw her mouth the words "Don't even think about it."

Soon Lightning, Serah and Snow were greeted by Fang, Vanille, Hope, Sazh and his son Dajh who was boosted on his father's shoulders. "Looks like the team's all here." Sazh said looking at the group with a smile.

Serah greeted everyone with a friendly smile, "Hi guys!" She said excitedly as she walked over to Sazh to give Dajh and high five.

"Well well, Sunshine does have another pair of clothes." Fang said teasingly to Lightning.

Hardly anyone had seen Lightning out of her GC uniform aside from her sister, so it was a surprise to the group that she actually wore something different. The eldest Farron wore a sleeveless black shirt which exposed her midriff, a pair of slightly torn blue jeans and black boots, different from her GC boots.

"Pretty bold of you Light." Vanille said with a giggle.

Lightning shrugged, "It's pretty hot out."

"I don't mean to interrupt but our train will leave without us if we don't hurry." Hope said to the group. No one realized that the train had already begun boarding passengers.

"Let's go." Lightning instructed as she walked along with Serah keeping Snow away from them.

Fang laughed, "You're not getting a break on this trip." She told the blond.

"Heh, I'm stubborn though. I can take it." Snow said confidently.

The group walked through the train's compartments in order to find seats to sit with one another. Lightning was the first on board so she looked on ahead and was luckily able to find seats for everyone.

"Right here is fine Serah." Lightning said pointing to the seats. Above the seats were small boxes used to contain luggage. "Here, hand me your bag, I'll place it in one of the compartments." Lightning said holding her hand out to her sister.

Serah thanked Lightning and handed her sister her bags before sitting in her seat. Lightning lifted the bags up with easy and made sure their things were secured before closing the compartment. Before she could shut it another person stopped it.

"Sorry, is there still room? The other compartments are full." A familiar voice said. Lightning looked to her side to find herself looking at Noctis's deep blue eyes. Both were shocked to see the other.

**Chapter End**

Xethear: Many apologies everyone. After finals I will try and update a lot faster! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Can anyone guess where Lightning's 'vacation attire' is from?

Noctis: It is pretty revealing Light.

Lightning: Shut up, it's hot out and what are you doing on this train anyways?!


	14. Nautilus

Disclaimer: Nautilus the City of Dreams is an amazing amusement park in Final Fantasy and like Final Fantasy it does not belong to me.

Xethear: Hello everyone! Finals are finally over so in celebration I present a long chapter of The Rose of the Night! Please enjoy and many thanks for the reviews on the last chapter! To the amusement park Nautilus!

**Chapter 14: Nautilus **

Noctis stood in an almost transfixed gaze as he stared into the eyes of the person he had been longing to see, but never expected to be in the train. His friends had trouble convincing him to go with them to the train early that morning. Noctis was second guessing his decisions because part of him wanted to clear his thoughts and fulfill the entrusted duty tasked to him to learn about in Bodhum, but the other part of him longed to see Lightning though his pride would stubbornly deny it. His friends practically had to drag him to the station by the collar while his heels dug into the pavement.

When he bumped into Lightning on the train and locked eyes with her, he felt warmth resonate within him. He was shocked to see Lightning in new attire and felt himself to be lucky being one of the individuals to see her in clothing aside from her GC uniform and he blushed finding her stunning. Compared to her GC uniform which covered her up with a khaki coat, this attire revealed the upper half of her body more.

"Hello Light. I never expected to see you here." The prince said calmly as he fought the urge to let his eyes wander.

Lightning noticed the blush appear on Noctis's face and took a moment before realizing it was because of her attire. Around her friends she didn't seem to mind, but now in front of Noctis she couldn't help but feel slightly embarrassed; though she quickly shook off her nerves in order to stay composed for Serah and for her own pride. _'One of the reasons for this trip is to erase all of those distractions Lightning. Remember that.' _She recited in her head.

"It looks like the prince likes Lightning's new outfit too!" Vanille said with a giggle causing Noctis's blush to deepen.

"I-I, no umm, it's just-" He was stunned after realizing he was at a loss for words.

Serah noticed a faint hint of pink appear on her sister's cheeks despite her stoic expression which caused her to smile.

It was then Lightning noticed that the prince had a change of clothes as well; an ensemble that consisted primarily of black clothing. He wore a shirt which mimicked the color of the night sky adorned with a unique pattern, a black sleeveless coat which he had unbuttoned, black pants matching his coat and a pair of black boots which Lightning noticed had red soles. Though dark and ominous in appearance she felt that it suit the man. His shirt highlighted his build well which didn't help Lightning in her mission to erase her "distractions."

"This is a surprise. What brings you here prince?" Lightning asked as she sat down beside Serah while Noctis shut the luggage compartment above their heads.

"Yeah Mr. Prince. What brings royalty like you to a train like this?" Fang asked with a small grin.

"Come on now lady, nobles need to get out now and then too." Sazh said.

Dajh looked gave Noctis a curious stare before turning to his father, "Who's this daddy?"

"You don't have to treat me like a noble…" Noctis told the group sincerely. He didn't want any special treatment.

Snow grinned at the man, "You're going to regret that later Mr. Prince." Snow said with a chuckle earning a frown from Noctis.

Vanille rocked in her seat and looked over Noctis's shoulder as if she was expecting someone to appear behind him. "So why are you here Prince Noctis?" She asked curiously as she continued to stare behind the prince.

Noctis sighed, "Just Noct is fine, and well…" he started but stopped when he saw the girl beside Lightning whisper to her. Their striking resemblance immediately told him that they were siblings.

Lightning let out a sigh and crossed her arms. "Yes this is him Serah." She said without any hint of emotion.

Noctis produced a sullen smile, her lack of emotion felt like a jab to the chest. "That's some enthusiasm Lightning." He said wondering why she seemed harsher than usual.

Lightning huffed and turned her attention to the conversation her friends were having.

Serah looked at Noctis and detected his hint of sadness a while and reassured him with a smile. "Don't mind my sister Prince Noctis, she isn't too happy right now because of... things." She said vaguely.

Noctis's expression brightened a bit at Serah's reassuring words as if they were medicine he needed to cure him of an illness. He found the difference between the siblings quite astounding; Serah seemed friendly and gentle from first appearances whereas Lightning was quite the opposite, though despite her thorns, Noctis still found the woman amazing. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you Serah, Lightning talks a lot about you." Noctis said recalling the times in the training room Lightning spoke about her reasons for working so hard.

Lightning cringed when she heard what Noctis had revealed, but refused show any signs that she was listening.

Serah looked absolutely thrilled from hearing that her sister spoke so much of her and beamed at Noctis. "I never knew that." She said softly. "You know Prince Noctis-"

"Noct is fine." The prince said quickly before apologizing to Serah for interrupting her.

Serah giggled and continued, "-Noct, Lightning talks a lot about y-"

"Hey Serah." Lightning quickly interrupted her sister and handed her an informational guide on the train's schedule and one on Nautilus. "I need you to look at these so we can plan where to go when we arrive there." She said quickly and gave her sister a small glare telling her not to say anymore to Noctis.

Serah smiled mischievously which caused Lightning to raise her eyebrow. Noctis stared at the two curiously; it was as if they were having a silent argument. After a few seconds Serah sighed, "Sorry Noct, my sister really wants to go over this, we can talk later." She said politely before opening up the guides.

Noctis could only nod and contemplate what Serah was going to say before she was interrupted. 'You know Noct, Lightning talks a lot about _you_.' He wanted her to finish.

"I suppose I'll return to my seat then." He said reluctantly looking down to his feet and turning towards the opposite direction of the group unaware that Gladiolus and Prompto were right in front of him. He absentmindedly walked directly into Gladiolus who didn't even budge and inch and rather grinned when Noctis looked up at him with a confused look on his face.

"Looks like you found us some new seats Noct!" Gladiolus said happily.

Noctis turned his head and was surprised to see empty seats right across from Lightning and Serah. He was in such shock seeing Lightning on the train that he failed to notice the small row of vacant seats across from them. He glanced at Lightning from the corner of his eyes and found her holding a surprised look on her face as well and assumed she hadn't noticed as well.

"Mind if we take these seats everyone?" Prompto asked with his signature wink and grin directed straight at Vanille who immediately turned as red as a phoenix feather. It was obvious she was looking for the blond ever since Noctis had arrived.

"It doesn't seem like anyone is sitting there." Hope said surveying the area.

"Go ahead and take a load off your feet guys!" Snow said loudly at the three men, the volume of his voice caused Lightning's eye to twitch in frustration.

"Don't mind if we do!" Prompto said plopping himself down before leaning against the back of the seat with his hands behind his head.

Snow pointed at each of the newcomers and held three fingers up, "Aren't you guys missing someone?"

Ignis was indeed absent from the group and even Noctis wondered where his friend had gone to.

"Where's Ignis guys?" Noctis asked the duo as he searched for Ignis through the aisle. The train hadn't started up yet so there was still time for Ignis to meet up with the party without the trouble of stumbling through a moving train.

Everyone was confused as to why the two only grinned.

"Well…" Gladiolus said as he took the seat next to Prompto, "Ignis ran into someone on the way here." He said and turned to Prompto who was eager to continue the story.

"It was his lady friend Rikku." Prompto said cheerfully. "You should have seen his expression when she dragged him away Noct. "I'm going to borrow him guys. We'll meet up with you later!" Prompto said in a higher pitched voice trying to imitate Rikku.

Noctis couldn't help but chuckle as he imagined the girl drag Ignis away once again. They seemed like complete opposites. Noctis was caught up in his own thoughts again that he failed to notice the intercom announce that the train would be starting up.

"Umm you might want to sit down there Noct before the train starts up." Prompto said to his friend who was still standing up.

"Huh?" Noctis responded snapping out of his thoughts only to hear "…starts up."

Prompto sighed, "Noct, you can be really oblivious at times. I said you better sit-" Prompto's sentence was cut short when the train suddenly started up with a sudden jolt.

Noctis lost his balance and hit his head on the luggage compartment overhead causing him to stumble and fall back before his vision became cloudy for a moment.

He could feel a sharp sting in the back of his head and winced as it throbbed, but felt comforting warmth from where his head was resting. He slowly opening his eyes and saw Lightning's eye's closed, her brow raised in frustration and a faint blush on her face. He had landed on her, more precisely, his head on her lap. His face slowly became red upon realization and he quickly back peddled across the floor in the opposite direction towards his friends.

Everyone was silent waiting for Lightning to lash out, but the scolding against the prince never came; instead Lightning took a deep breath and held the Nautilus guide up to her face, shielding herself from everyone's eyes. She was tempted to say something but decided it wouldn't help her distance herself from Noctis.

Noctis looked up at Prompto and Gladiolus and then at the rest of the group; they all shared Noctis's confused expression excluding Serah. The youngest Farron knew when something was troubling her sister and ever since she saw her sister's reactions to the prince since she bumped into him on the train, she could feel something was off.

Noctis found that he would have preferred to hear Lightning scolding him rather than not hearing her at all. He couldn't remember at time at school where she treated him like this. Noctis stood up slowly and glanced at Lightning - who still had her face buried in the guide -before he sank into his chair. _'Did I do something wrong?' _He questioned himself silently. _'It's probably for the best… after all, it's not like we'll be staying in Bodhum…' _

Noctis kept his thoughts to himself and decided to use up the time the long train ride to Nautilus would provide in order to catch up on some sleep.

Serah noticed the man steal one more glance at her sister before shutting his eyes causing her to wonder why her sister was acting so distant to someone she had talked about before at their house.

**Paradigm Shift**

Noctis stood in the center of a throne room with an abundance of eyes glued to him. Just standing in the presence of so many stuffy nobles felt suffocating; their eyes followed his every action, they were strict and judging. What good was being a prince when it felt as if every day you were being followed, being watched. The only source of comfort he found were from his friend's encouraging smiles; the only individuals smiling in a sea of blank expressions.

Prompto and Gladiolus gave him a thumbs up and even Ignis reluctantly raised his hand to give Noctis the gesture of encouragement. Their trust was reassuring and was like a breath of fresh air to the prince. After clearing his mind of the nobles' judging eyes Noctis walked forward and faced the man sitting on the throne – the King of Tenebrae, his own father.

The man's piercing gaze felt even more intense then all of the nobles stares combined, it was almost petrifying. Noctis knew what was coming and he braced himself for the king's words. It was silent in the room; it even felt as if everyone was holding their breath.

"Such arrogance. You will never become king with such arrogance. You will never grow strong."

The king's cold words pierced like hot tempered arrows; there was no hesitation, he was straight and to the point.

Noctis knew better than to talk back to his father, but every fiber of his being was screaming that he should defend himself. The fight with the ominous stranger played in his head again and again, only infuriating him each time he visualized his opponent. The man's cold stare was the same as the nobles; they were judging him.

Noctis clenched his fists and gritted his teeth as he stared at the crimson carpet blanketing the floor beneath his feet. It felt like the only way he could calm himself down without losing his temper.

"You will move to Bodhum. There is an Academy there. There you will learn how to acknowledge your weakness and find other reasons to take up your sword other than to show everyone your power." The king said coldly. "Only then will you grow stronger. Find that reason to fight."

**Paradigm Shift**

Noctis's eyes slowly opened as he woke up from his nap. His vision was still blurry and he felt groggy but soon everything began to come into focus. He noticed that everyone around him was asleep now; Snow was snoring loudly, Hope was sound asleep next to the man, Dajh was sleeping next to his father, Vanille was resting against Fang, Prompto and Gladiolus were sprawled on the floor – which caused the prince to chuckle – and Serah was resting her head on Lightning's shoulder.

Noctis smiled, seeing Lightning so calm after being so tense all day made him feel relieved; she looked so peaceful sleeping next to her sister. He suddenly imagined her resting her head on his shoulder causing him to feel slightly embarrassed. He shook his head and placed his hand on his forehead, "What am I thinking?" He whispered to himself.

The prince decided he needed some fresh air to clear his thoughts and stood up to walk outside for a moment and even admire the stars of the night sky. He was careful not to wake anyone and stepped lightly around his friends who were fast asleep on the floor before he was able to reach the nearest exit. With a swift and fluid motion Noctis slid the door open and quickly slipped outside before carefully shutting the door behind him.

As soon as he stepped outside Noctis was hit by a cool and refreshing breeze. He let out a sigh which he felt he was holding in since the morning and relaxed his body as he leaned against the train's railing. The sky was a canvas painted with a myriad of stars accompanied by a beautiful crescent moon. The scenery was breathtaking reminding the prince of the times he stared at the sky back in Tenebrae. Noctis was completely engrossed in nostalgia that he didn't hear the train door slide open welcoming another into the night.

"You know, you're not very stealthy." A voice told Noctis from behind.

The prince turned around and saw a drowsy looking Lightning walk towards him. She had a small case of bedhead which caused him to laugh.

Lightning raised an eyebrow, "What's so funny?" She asked him sounding slightly annoyed.

Noctis kept one hand over his mouth muffling the sound of his laughter and raised his other hand to point at Lightning's hair.

From the soldier's point of view it looked as if Noctis was pointing at her forehead so she wiped her brow with her arm assuming there was something there.

"There's nothing wrong with your forehead Lightning." The prince said after calming himself down. He walked towards the woman and placed his hand over her head to flatten down the loose strands of hair on her head.

Lightning reacted on reflex and grabbed Noctis's wrist and glared at him, her eyes told him what she wanted to say before she could say it, "What do you think you're doing?!"

Noctis let out a nervous laugh, "Sorry, it was your hair, you had a small case of bedhead, though I don't mind at all. You look cute like that." Noctis said playfully.

Lightning blushed unable to tell whether the man was joking or not and only responded with a cold, "Be quiet." Before she turned around and fixed her hair herself.

Noctis laughed softly at Lightning's embarrassment and turned the other way to lean on the railing once again to admire the stars.

"It looks like we share a hobby." Lightning said as she leaned against the railing next to the prince.

Noctis looked at Lightning and saw her staring at the star splashed sky with a small smile on her face. "Beautiful isn't it?" He said shyly referring to her.

"What?" Lightning responded as she turned her attention to him.

"I err, the scenery. Beautiful isn't it?" Noctis said as he scratched his cheek nervously hoping she didn't notice who his compliment was intended for.

Lightning didn't seem to notice as she simply responded with a nod of her head. "It really is." She murmured softly as she looked up at the sky once again.

Noctis didn't know why, but seeing this side of Lightning brought his spirits up, he felt as though sharing moments like this with her was something he would always cherish, but he had to ask himself, "Why did she seem so angry with me?"

The prince's questions were answered when Lightning spoke once more. "I'm… I'm sor…" Lightning mumbled the rest of her words making it difficult for Noctis to understand what she was trying to say.

"Sorry? What was that Light?" He asked her politely wanting to know what she said.

Lightning sighed and glared at the prince with a faint blush on her face, "I'm sorry…" She said with a hint of embarrassment. "I was angry because my plans for this vacation with my sister took a turn and I was left in the dark. It wasn't right to vent my frustrations on you." As soon as Lightning finished she turned away from Noctis.

The prince knew that apologizing like that was no easy feat, especially for someone with as much pride as Lightning. He didn't need any additional explanation. "No problem Light. I understand, thank you for clearing that up for me."

Lightning was surprised that the prince quickly forgave her and turned around to see Noctis giving her a warm, gentle smile which was amplified by the moonlight shining directly overhead. He looked like a true prince under the moonlight, and he was giving her a smile; she couldn't help but feel like it was something special.

Unfortunately before the two could admire the moment a little longer an announcement sounded throughout the whole train. "We will be arriving to Nautilus in less than an hour." The voice said updating all the passengers who were still awake.

Noctis yawned and felt that he could use a little more sleep now feeling relieved knowing Lightning wasn't angry at him. "I think I'll catch some more sleep until we get to Nautilus." Noctis said as he began walking to the door.

"I'll stay out here a little longer." Lightning said wanting to relish the beautiful scenery a little longer. "Besides, it's a little cooler out now."

Noctis nodded and yawned once again and opened the door and stepped inside the train, "Goodnight, and thanks Light." The prince whispered before closing the door behind him.

**Paradigm Shift**

"This place looks amazing!" Serah exclaimed as she stared at the splendor that was Nautilus. The whole amusement park was flooded with tourists and vendors selling all sorts of items ranging from Carbuncle plushies to amusement park snacks. The lights decorating the park bathed the walkways with golden light illuminating the tourist's paths. The sound of children's laughter filled the air as kids ran around excitedly pulling their parent's hands behind them. Speakers set up on the lampposts played a majestic fanfare which the amusement park was well known for. The whole crew seemed uplifted by the amount of joy emitted from the park.

"I wonder where we go first!" Vanille shouted excitedly as she surveyed the area with Serah.

"Before going anywhere I think we should check in at the hotel." Noctis said as he scanned a directory outlining the whole park.

"Nonsense Noct!" Prompto said as he flung an arm around the prince's neck. "We just got here let's go check out some attractions!"

Noctis shrugged off his friend's arm. "What do you propose we do about our luggage then Prompto?" Noctis said as he pointed at the mountain of luggage the group brought.

Prompto laughed nervously revealing that he forgot all about the group's luggage, but was luckily saved by Gladiolus and Snow.

"Don't worry about that everyone." Gladiolus said bringing Prompto into a suffocating headlock.

"Yeah! We ask some of the attendants here if they could bring our luggage to the hotel for us!" Snow told the group before giving a thumbs up to Lightning. "How was that sis?" Snow asked with a big grin on his face.

Lightning crossed her arms and closed her eyes responding with a small "hmph" refusing to give the blond any more acknowledgement.

"She appreciates it." Serah said teasingly poking her sister on her sides.

The group of attendants Gladiolus and Snow spoke to soon arrived. All of them wore similar uniforms and amongst them was a familiar face to Lightning and Noctis.

"Zidane! What are you doing here?" Noctis asked as he walked up to the younger cadet with Lightning.

Zidane grinned happily, excited to see more familiar faces at the amusement park. "I'm actually part of a entertaining theatre troupe here at Nautilus and we were booked for a show!" He told his two senior cadets. "We're not exactly attendants but we'd be happy to take the luggage to your hotel!"

Lightning and Noctis spun around and glared at Snow and Gladiolus.

"Zidane isn't an attendant here." Noctis said raising an eyebrow at the two large men who stared at each other nervously.

"H-Hey you have to admit, the uniforms looked similar to the attendants running around here." Snow said trying to defend themselves.

Lightning sighed and shook her head, "I can't believe this." She said obviously annoyed with the two men.

"Hey don't worry about it Ms. Farron!" Zidane said with a grin. "Our show doesn't start for another hour and technically we are workers here. It won't be that big a problem. If you want to thank us, why not check out our show?" He said giving the group a wink.

"You've got it!" Prompto said shaking Zidane's hands. "Thanks a bunch for this Zidane! Hey Noct! Lightning! Be sure to give this guy a promotion or raise or rank up or whatever when we get back!"

Noctis scoffed at his friend's way of making hasty decisions for him.

"Thank you Zidane, we'll definitely see the show." Lightning said thanking the young cadet and his theatre troupe before they left transporting their bags to their designated hotel.

"Alrighty, now that that's settled where should this ragtag bunch go first?" Fang asked the group.

"Well, I'm pretty sure we all have partners, so why don't we split up and see as much as we can and then meet up at the theatre in an hour to watch Zidane's show?" Prompto proposed.

"That sounds like a plan to me." Sazh said with a smile as he watched his son play with the small chocobo chick which flew out of the man's afro.

"Alright then! To the theatre in an hour!" Prompto shouted and took Vanille by the hand running in the same direction as Sazh, Dajh and Hope. It seemed like they were heading towards the chocobo stables.

"Let's go too Serah!" Snow shouted. Before the man could hold hands with Serah, Lightning stepped in between the couple.

"Don't even think about it." She said coldly as she stared daggers at the man.

Serah pouted, "Light, you promised you would relax! We'll be with Vanille and Hope so it'll be quite a big group. You don't have to worry! And if you want to check up on us we'll probably be spending most of the time at the stables."

Lightning sighed realizing her sister had her beat in this argument. It was difficult, but she reluctantly let them go as long as Snow stayed three feet away from Serah.

Before they knew it, Lightning and Noctis were the only two left at the directory, Gladiolus had gone towards the game attractions with Fang and Ignis was somewhere lost in the crowsd with Rikku who held enough energy to power the whole park.

The two remained silent as music and laughter filled the air. In an attempt to break the awkward atmosphere that still lingered Noctis cleared his throat to try and get Lightning's attention. "How about checking some of the attractions Light?" He said almost choking on his words due to his nerves.

Lightning placed her finger on the directory and traced several paths leading to the group's hotel and after tracing them, she retraced the paths in order to memorize them. "Sorry, what was that?" She was completely oblivious to the prince's proposal.

Noctis scratched the back of his head and let out a nervous laugh; it was difficult asking her if she'd like to see the attractions the first time let alone a second time. _'This is no time to be nervous Noctis. You've fought countless battles and yet you lose your nerve when speaking to Lightning? Muster up that pride you hold.'_ He thought in his head which allowed him to gather the courage to ask again.

"Would you like to see some of the attractions Light?" He asked confidently.

Lightning seemed to ponder the question for a moment before answering, "Might as well." She said with a shrug. The soldier still seemed to be shaking off her annoyance at her ruined vacation plans and walked towards the amusement park's game area with Noctis following several feet behind her in order to give her some space.

**Paradigm Shift**

Nautilus's game center was a hub of life as various tourists gathered around the machines in an attempt to test their skills. Noctis saw an large burly men testing their might at an arm-wrestling game, others fought virtual opponents in a fighting game while others observed a moogle show.

"Quite a breathtaking sight." Noctis said with amazement as his eyes darted from game to game searching for one he could play.

Lightning looked surprised herself. "I have to admit, I haven't seen anything like this before." She said as she watched kids purchase plush Carbuncle's from a vendor nearby. The bright smiles on their faces put a smile on Lightning's face as well. It was comforting to see so many happy faces; the feeling was contagious. Lightning eyed some of the machines herself when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey Light, would you like to try that game out with me?" Noctis asked pointing to a small machine with bright bold letters spelling out "Whack the Cactuar." The game was set with two foam bats so that two people could play against one another. "Want to test your speed against mine?" The prince asked with a confident grin.

Lightning scoffed as she brushed Noctis's hand away and walked to the machine taking a bat in hand. "Try and give me a challenge _prince_."

Noctis dispensed several gil inside the machine bringing the contraption to life and quickly took the leftover bat in hand before the game started. Almost immediately a countdown timer appeared on the display screen of the machine counting down from ten before starting the game. Noctis and Lightning held their breath in anticipation as they watched the ten become a nine and then an eight. The countdown timer finally reached one and when it hit zero an exclamation point flashed on screen and the first cactuar emerged from one of the various holes located on the machine's flat surface.

Noctis spotted the cactuar's tiny green figure, but before he could swing his arm Lightning swiftly struck it on the head causing it to retreat back into its hole earning her a point. "You'll have to do better than that." She said with a confident smirk.

The point lead Lightning had over Noctis was enough to erase the awkward atmosphere around them; rather what was left was heated competition.

"I was only getting warmed up; the next one will be mine." Noctis said confidently as he stretched his arms.

Lightning raised her eyebrow skeptical whether the prince was bluffing about warming up. However when the next cactuar emerged from its shelter, Noctis was the one to claim the point, just like he said he would.

"Now things are getting interesting." Lightning said with subtle enthusiasm as she tightened the grip on her bat.

"How about we make a wager?" The prince proposed as he twirled his bat between his fingers.

Lightning crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow, "What kind of wager?"

"We'll worry about that later." Noctis said with a confident smile and gleam in his eyes.

Lightning responded with a nod and she directed her attention to the game.

As the game progressed the speed at which the cactuars appeared increased and along with it, the speed they were hit by Lightning and Noctis. The two were going against one another with such amazing speed that they began to draw a crowd; though neither of them noticed because they were too focused on the game. By the time the game had ended the two were practically out of breath. Their chests were heaving but nevertheless there was a smile on their faces.

"I have to admit, that was fun." Noctis said as he returned the bat in its holder.

Lightning returned her bat as well and then noticed the small crowd of people cheering around them. "Noctis? When did these people…" She trailed off as the crowd broke into applause and cheers.

Noctis jumped when he noticed the crowd surrounding them. Several of them whistled and yelled at how amazing they were. The children amongst the adults attempted to mimic Lightning and Noctis playing the game but looked as though they were flailing, which people found adorable.

Lightning and Noctis gave the crowd a smile and the prince thanked them with a small bow. Some of the girls in the crowd recognized the prince and swooned which made Lightning roll her eyes. She turned her attention to the game's results board and was shocked to see that the prince had won by one point. It was only one point, but the prince had her beat. Lightning turned around to find Noctis staring at the screen in disbelief before he gave her a grin and wink.

Lightning blushed and turned her head away from the prince looking slightly annoyed. "You got lucky." She said as she turned around and stormed off to another game.

Noctis laughed and followed her; he didn't expect to be having so much fun.

**Paradigm Shift**

Noctis and Lightning played several more games each of them racking up several wins and losses along with an abundance of game points they never intended on acquiring. Neither wanted to have the points go to waste so they decided to go to the exchange counter and exchange them for prizes. The exchanger mistook the two for a couple and suggested stuffed plushies for the two of them and was completely shocked when the two insisted on getting toy weapons.

As the two were getting ready to exchange their points for some toy replicas of famous weapons, Lightning spotted a little girl looking around frantically in the plaza, small beads of water were welling up on the corners of her face until they finally grew and ran down her face; she was crying. As the exchanger began to hand Lightning a toy replica sword labeled "Zantetsuken" Lightning pushed the prize away and shook her head. "I'd like that one instead." She said pointing to a stuffed toy moogle plush surprising both the exchanger and Noctis.

As soon as she received the prize Lightning ran over to the little girl and crouched down before patting her on the head. Noctis watched from afar as he saw Lightning hand the girl the plush which stopped her from crying. He could tell Lightning was consoling the girl and he felt warmth well up within him. The little girl's frown soon turned into a small smile as she took Lightning's hand and the two walked towards Noctis.

"Well well, who's this pretty little princess Lightning?" The prince asked with a smile.

Lightning glanced at the little girl and gave her hand a little squeeze.

"I-I'm Marlene." The little girl said softly as she stepped closer to Lightning.

"She was separated from her father by the crowd so I've decided to help her look for him." Lightning explained.

"Well let's get to it then!" Noctis said as he crouched down so that he was looking at Marlene. "I'm Noctis. Nice to meet you Ms. Marlene."

Marlene smiled, "Thank you." She said politely.

The three of them walked around the park for a few minutes when an announcement came up on an intercom; the voice however did not seem to be that of someone working in the amusement park.

"HELLO? IS THIS THING ON? MARLENE?!" The voice shouted causing some of the tourists to flinch and cover their ringing ears.

Lightning felt Marlene tug on her hand. "What is it Marlene?"

"It's papa!" Marlene said excitedly as she looked around for her father.

"Barret take it easy!" Another voice shouted into the intercom.

"Cloud, the intercom is still on!" Another voice shouted.

"TIFA TELL SPIKEY TO LET GO OF THE MIC, WE HAVE TO FIND MARLENE!" The first voice shouted before feedback screeched through the mic ending the sudden announcement.

Noctis scratched the back of his head and laughed, "It looks like your papa is pretty worried. Let's go find where that announcement was made." Both Lightning and Marlene nodded and headed towards the closest informational booth. The guide quickly directed them to the control room and the three ran to the directed area to find security and two other individuals attempting to calm down a large man with a beard and mechanical hand.

As soon as the man saw Marlene he grew wide eyed and ran towards her. "Marlene!" He shouted.

"Papa!" Marlene ran to her father and gave him a big hug before he raised her up to sit on his shoulders. The man walked towards Noctis and Lightning and extended his hand to them. "I should thank ya for finding my daughter. Thank you." He said humbly.

Lightning shook the man's hand and patted Marlene on the head and Noctis did the same. "Keep close to your papa alright?" They told her together.

Marlene nodded and was let down from her father's shoulders and she gave both Lightning and Noctis a hug before thanking them once again.

The two watched as Marlene and her father joined the other two individuals Cloud and Tifa waiting for them. They seemed extremely relieved to see that Marlene was safe and they waved to Noctis and Lightning.

Noctis and Lightning responded with a small wave in return and watched as the four headed towards the theater.

"It's almost time for the show. Shall we?" Noctis asked politely, but Lightning was already on her way to the theater.

Noctis quickly caught up to her and they began to walk to the theater together.

"That was really nice of you Lightning." Noctis said suddenly while they were walking.

Lightning didn't respond. Instead she walked together with the prince with a small gentle smile on her face.

**End Chapter**

Xethear: I hope you all enjoy this chapter! The fun at Nautilus has only just begun!


	15. Born Anew

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy does not belong to me.

Xethear: Hello once again everyone! Internet has been down at my house due to lots of construction and thus furniture moving. Updates may not arrive every so often as they did before, but they shall come! In recent news, who else was driven to tears of joy at the new trailer for Final Fantasy VS XIII / XV? So breathtaking and beautiful! A-Anyways chapter 15!

**Chapter 15: Born Anew**

Noctis and Lightning stood back to back scanning the entire amphitheater for any sign of their friends; they agreed to meet up before the show, but there was still no sign of any of them. With each passing minute more and more people walked through the entrance of the theater making it even harder to locate their friends.

"Should we just find some seats and save the other vacant seats around us?" Noctis asked Lightning as people began flooding into the theater. It looked like it was going to be a sold out show because of all the people shuffling and bumping into one another scrambling to occupy a seat.

Lightning nodded, "It's better than standing here having people run into you." She said as several children ran past her. As the two reached an agreement they set the task of locating their friends aside for a moment as they focused on their new task of securing a good set of seats for the show. Luckily Noctis noticed a row of seats near the stage which were completely vacant and informed Lightning and the two quickly ran to the row of seats in order to claim them before anyone else did. Noctis pulled his phone out from his pocket and sent messages to Prompto, Gladiolus and Ignis despite not having seen him since they boarded the train. After the messages had been sent he slipped his phone back in his pocket and tapped his foot against the floor impatiently.

He turned to Lightning and saw her eyes scanning the crowd; he could tell she was worried about her sister. "They'll be here soon." He said as he placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

She gave him a small nod, "They better. If they're late they'll all be getting a lecture." Lightning said sternly and crossed her arms.

Noctis laughed, he felt sorry for the others imagining them sitting on the floor for hours listening to a long lecture. Prompto and Gladiolus wouldn't be able to sit still, they hardly did in class.

The two stood beside one another dividing the task of searching for their friends; Noctis would search the eastern half of the theater, while Lightning searched the west. The prince kept glancing at his phone every few minutes just to check his inbox which remained void of his friend's replies and to check how much time was left before the show started while Lightning reviewed the theater show plan on a program she was given at the door.

With each passing minute the duo became even more impatient. Lightning would nudge Noctis with her elbow every few minutes as her way of asking him what time it was and he would notify her accordingly. Five minutes before the show Noctis spotted a girl with the same color hair as Lightning entering the theater with more familiar faces.

"Hey Light, I found them." Noctis said pointing to the eastern entrance of the theater.

Lightning's eyes followed the direction to where Noctis was pointing and sure enough she saw her sister happily waving at her. She gave a small wave back and then noticed Snow wave at her as well which quickly made her form her hand into a fist causing the large man to flinch. Noctis laughed and saw Prompto and Gladiolus waving at him as well, and to his surprise Ignis was with them; it wasn't long before the whole team reunited and took their seats.

"I told you guys we would make it!" Prompto said as he stretched his arms and legs and sank into his seat. The blond let out a sigh of relief glad to be off his feet.

Noctis crossed his arms, "What took you all so long? The show is about to start." He said as he glared at each of his friends.

Sazh scratched the back of his head, "Sorry about that, little chocobo chick here decided it would be fun to start a game of hide and seek." As soon as Sazh ended his sentence the small chocobo chick chirped in Sazh's afro and flew off into Dajh's lap.

Vanille giggled, "A few minutes after we got to the chocobo park, little chick flew around and around and we spent a good while trying to find where little chick was hiding." As soon as she finished explaining she rested her head on Prompto's shoulder which caused the blond to blush.

Noctis glanced over at Lightning who was speaking to Serah and scolding Snow and imagined her resting her head on his shoulder but he quickly shook his head, _'What am I thinking that isn't like Lightning!' _Noctis felt his face grow warm and took a deep breath to calm himself down.

"H-Hey calm down Noct, we're sorry." Prompto said apologetically mistaking Noctis's embarrassment to be anger.

"N-Nevermind." Noctis said quickly and turned his attention to Ignis. "What ever happened to you?" Noctis asked curiously.

Ignis loosened the collar of his shirt with his finger and cleared his throat. "I was robbed of my own volition." He said softly.

Noctis raised his eyebrow wondering what Ignis meant. "What do you mean by that?"

Gladiolus overheard their conversation and laughed, "We found Ignis here watching in a small crowd as that Rikku girl took part in a competition where machina fought in a small arena."

Noctis thought he misheard Gladiolus but knew it to be true when he looked at Ignis and saw his face grow red.

"S-She forced me to go! That woman is insufferable!" Ignis fumed and turned away refusing to look any of his friends in the eyes.

Prompto laughed, "He likes her." He whispered to Noctis.

"Definitely." Noctis whispered back earning a laugh from Prompto.

**Paradigm Shift**

Lightning and Noctis listened to their friend's experiences in the park, and to Noctis's embarrassment, much were filled with mischief by Prompto resulting in the man being escorted out of places by security.

"That game stole my gil, I had to get it back!" Prompto exclaimed as he finished his most recent story.

Gladiolus laughed, "It didn't steal your gil, you're just bad at that crane game." He said remembering how many times he saw various prizes slip out of the crane's claws.

"I am not, and that plush chocobo was calling my name!" The blond shouted trying to defend himself.

Ignis was rubbing his temples, a habit that became apparent when Prompto shared his stories. "Dare I say how much you spent on that game?"

Prompto threw his arms behind his head and looked at ceiling, "Probably a good 5000 gil." He practically whispered.

Noctis knew that was too much money to spend on a plush and plugged his ears waiting for Ignis's scolding. Thankfully, Zidane took the stage on the theater and tapped the microphone to attract everyone's attention. He cleared his throat and spoke into the microphone with a nice clear voice. "Hello ladies and gentlemen! Thank you for all your patience! How is everyone tonight?" At the end of Zidane's question there was a roar of applause and cheers and he beamed at the attention.

"Zidane is pretty popular." Noctis whispered to Lightning as he observed the audience's reaction.

Lightning nodded her head slowly, she was surprised herself not knowing her subordinate was such a popular entertainer. He was really acrobatic and flashy during combat missions and now she saw where some of his techniques originated from.

"Thank you all! Now to start off this magical night we have Genesis reciting a few lines from _Loveless_!" Zidane ended his announcement with a wink and grin to the audience before the spotlight dimmed leaving the crowd in a subtle darkness. Lightning noticed Noctis sit up straighter when he heard the poem's title.

I like his style guys!" Prompto whispered which caused people around him to chuckle.

Once the lights began to illuminate the stage once again the people in the crowd sat up straight in their seats. In the middle of the golden spotlight was a single individual sitting on a stool. His medium length brown hair and crimson coat were two of his defining features. In his hand he held a small book. He tapped on the microphone three times and at the end of the third tap the sound of a violin filled the theater.

It only took a few seconds for Lightning to recognize the piece of music. "The Price of Freedom…" she murmured softly informing those around her of the title of the beautiful piece of music.

The audience indulged in the wondrous melody before Genesis finally spoke.

"_Infinite in mystery is the gift of the Goddess_

_We seek it thus, and take to the sky_

_Ripples form on the water's surface_

_The wandering soul knows no rest."_

He captivated the audience with the lines, spoken clearly and sharply. Lightning eyed Noctis curiously and saw that he was closing his eyes.

"_There is no hate, only joy_

_For you are beloved by the goddess_

_Hero of the dawn, Healer of worlds"_

Noctis knew that the title of the poem was familiar from somewhere. As he heard more and more of the lines he could hear voice's apart from Genesis's reciting them in his head. He visualized a sunset and he was a kid again. He was sitting on a bench accompanied by two others and admired the comforting scenery.

"_Even if the morrow is barren of promises…"_

"Nothing shall forestall my return." Noctis said in unison with Genesis.

"Hmm, so you were familiar with the poem." Lightning said softly so that only Noctis heard.

Noctis seemed surprised, "Yes, I think my mother and father recited it to me when I was still a child. How did you know I was familiar with it?" He asked curiously.

Long crossed her arms and watched as Genesis left the stage silently as the audience roared with applause. "Body language." She said without looking in Noctis's direction.

"W-What?" He responded confused to what Lightning meant.

"The moment Zidane said '_Loveless_' you jolted up. I could tell that it was familiar to you in some way." She explained in a casual manner.

Noctis was impressed. It was a simple observation yet he was too focused on the poem to notice himself.

"I guess I am easy to read at times as Prompto and Gladiolus have pointed out." Noctis said and let out a small laugh. _'It's suppose it's a good thing she can't read me completely…'_

**Paradigm Shift**

The acts and performances continued on through the night including theatrics from Zidane and his theater troupe and poetry read by a man named Kuja who was introduced as siblings with Zidane. To everyone's surprise even Tidus and Yuna appeared. Tidus took part in one of Zidane's acrobatic performances and Yuna performed a dance. All of the creative performances left the audience in awe from the characters the cast played to the special effects utilized and before anyone knew, it was time for the finale.

Zidane was dressed in an exotic outfit left from his last performance and took the center of the stage once again and outstretched his arms as if to give everyone in the audience a large hug. "Thank you all for your support and love! We have a special finale for all of you tonight!"

Noctis and Lightning heard excited chattering behind them and expected to see something even more magical.

"We're in for a treat!"

"I don't think Zidane's troupe has done this before!"

"I can't wait!"

The people's excitement was like a chain reaction and soon everyone was cheering loudly once again.

Zidane grinned and continued, "Tonight we will be enacting a play about a legendary hero and goddess!" He quickly held up a finger in front of the crowd. "But wait everyone! The two leads of the hero and goddess won't be played by anyone in the troupe! They will be played by members in the audience! So step right up folks don't be shy!"

The energy of the audience was quickly replaced by unease as people murmured to one another, embarrassed and nervous to volunteer. Both Noctis and Lightning sunk into their chairs to avoid being picked.

Zidane paced back and forth on the stage, "Would anyone like to~?"

"HEY! PICK THESE TWO!" A voice shouted which attracted everyone's attention.

To Noctis and Lightning's horror it was Prompto who stood over their seats pointing his fingers at the two of them.

Gladiolus then jumped up, "YEAH! You can do it!"

"Go for it Sunshine!" Fang shouted

"You can do it Light!" Vanille joined in.

Both Noctis and Lightning stood up and spoke in unison.

"All of you sit down!" They said embarrassed and angrily before looking at one another surprised to say the exact same words. Suddenly the spotlight was directed towards them causing them to instantly freeze.

"Everyone! Looks like we have our two leading roles! I'm proud to say that I am very well acquainted with them, give it up for Noctis and Lighting!" Zidane shouted before applauding the two.

"W-Wait just a second!" Lightning started but was cut off when Fang, Vanille and Serah pushed her towards the stage.

"You'll do great sis!" Serah said enthusiastically.

"Let me go guys! This isn't funny!" Noctis shouted to his friends. His voice wasn't audible to anyone in the audience due to the cheers and applause.

"Gladiolus, Snow you have a good grip on him? We wouldn't want the prince to escape now." Prompto said with a sly grin and walked in front of them to hold the back stage door open.

"We'll get him there with his princess safely." Gladiolus said with a thumbs up.

The prince refused to give up with a fight and struggled to break free of his friends' grip; seeing that the prince was desperate they ran straight for the door.

The audience found it peculiar to see the two "volunteers" being restrained but concluded that it was all part of the theater program and continued to cheer.

"To the dressing rooms!" Zidane shouted and Noctis and Lightning's friends who remained in the audience watched with nervous and embarrassed smiles on their faces as the two disappeared back stage.

"Oh boy, they're going to get it after the show." Sazh said laughing nervously.

"I-I hope Lightning doesn't go on a rampage." Hope said shivering at the thought of Lightning unleashing her rage.

Ignis sighed, "One thing is for sure, Noct isn't going to let those three off easily."

**Paradigm Shift**

Ignis stared at his watch watching as the hands ticked around and around. It had been approximately ten minutes since Noctis and Lightning disappeared backstage and the crowd was getting restless. Several more minutes passed by and Ignis began counting the ticks of his watch which were drowned out by all the side conversations of people in the audience. Sazh played a game of chocobo trivia with Dajh and Hope seemed to fall asleep in his seat.

Finally after about fifteen minutes Prompto, Gladiolus, Snow, Vanille, Fang and Serah walked out of the door labeled "Back stage" and staggered off to their seats, they looked like a mess. All of them seemed to have several bruises, aside from Serah, but all of them had unruly hair.

Hope looked horrified, "What happened to you all?!" He asked the exasperated group.

"Noct had more fight in him than we expected." Prompto said as he rubbed his bruised arms, wincing at the slight pain.

"We got things done though." Gladiolus said proudly.

"Easy for you to say." Fang said letting out a deep sigh. "You can't believe how hard it is to get Sunshine into a dress. Taking down an adamantoise would be easier."

Snow laughed, "I'd rather take on an adamantoise than Lightning any day."

Everyone was silent for a moment but then nodded in agreement.

"That goes for Noct as well." Prompto added.

After several more minutes Zidane reappeared on stage once again looking very excited. "We apologize for the wait but without further ado we present the tale of the Warrior of Light and the Goddess Cosmos!" As soon as Zidane ended the introduction the lights dimmed for a moment and then slowly showered the center part of the stage with familiar golden light.

On the stage stood Noctis clad in armor colored pale blue and gold, a shield on his left hand and sword on his right. He gazed at the crowd with emotionless eyes he seemed like a completely different person. Slowly his lips parted and three words escaped his mouth, "Where am I?"

"_We find the nameless warrior standing in solitude with no recollection of where he was or even who he was."_ The one narrating the story was a moogle named Cid.

Noctis stood alone in silence when suddenly more lights came to life revealing two more individuals on stage. One was a sinister looking figure with wings and four arms crossed over his chest. He stared at Noctis with piercing eyes. The other individual took everyone's breath away. It was Lightning, she was dressed in a form-fitting white dress adorned with gold crests which complimented the color of the blond wig she wore.

"_A cycle of endless battle was taking place, the forces of Cosmos and Chaos locked in endless conflict threatening the very balance of the world."_

The sinister figure spoke first, his voice deep and commanding. "Nameless Warrior, you born of this world, fight for me in this never ending cycle of battle. Become a warrior of Chaos!"

Noctis took a step towards the sinister figure known as Chaos, his eyes remaining emotionless. Before Noctis took another step Lightning spoke. "Dismiss the thought Nameless Warrior. Through your rebirth your memories were washed away. Walk the path of light and become my sword and shield once more, a noble warrior of Cosmos. We must end this chaotic cycle." She stared at Noctis and outstretched her arm.

Their friends in the audience were left in staring at the two in awe; both Noctis and Lightning seemed like completely different people on the stage.

Noctis turned around and stared at Lightning who he found completely stunning and beautiful but kept his composure, he didn't want to break character. Maintaining his emotionless gaze he walked towards her and reached for her hand with his hand. Their fingers were inches apart from meeting when suddenly, a transparent wall, thin enough to occupy the space between their fingers rose up from the separating the two. They stared in one another's eyes for a moment and then the lights shut off. The audience was left in complete darkness once again.

When the lights came back to life the audience saw Noctis on his knees, chains as black as charcoal restricted his arms and legs to the stage and two individuals stood behind him. One of them was the poet Kuja, the other was a girl with blonde hair tied into a ponytail.

Kuja paced around the stage and placed his hand on his forehead like someone would if faced with a displeasing task. "Undoubtedly a warrior of harmony, now bent to Chaos's will; my, how the mighty have fallen." Kuja twirled a strand of his hair with his finger and glanced at Noctis from the corners of his eyes but he didn't respond.

The small girl made an effort to speak to Noctis but seemed to have trouble finding the words and instead stepped away from him.

"Come now canary, leave this fool, you have work to do." Kuja huffed and walked off the stage with the girl following a few steps behind him.

"Strange…" Ignis muttered as he observed the show.

"What do you mean strange this is a really good show!" Prompto said without taking his eyes off the stage.

Ignis shook his head, "It is a good show, what I meant was that this is the tale known as _Dissidia_, yet the so called nameless warrior played by Noct has been captured by the forces of Chaos."

"What's wrong about it?" Gladiolus asked curiously.

"In the tale of Dissidia the nameless warrior was met by Prishe and taken to Cosmos, the books never mentioned him being taken by the forces of Chaos." Hope clarified earning a nod from Ignis.

Gladiolus grinned, "Well looks like they're putting a twist to things tonight."

"_The nameless warrior now bound by the chains of chaos, with no recollection of his past endeavors he now fights under the influence of darkness. The goddess Cosmos summoned various warriors in order to help fight and bring about the end to the cycle of chaos and to save their fallen comrade. _

Lightning appeared on stage once again but rather than wearing the garb of the Goddess Cosmos, she was now dressed in Valkyrie like armor, a shield on her left hand and a modified gunblade on her right. The blonde wig she was wearing before was also gone.

"_The Goddess Cosmos's champion the Valkyrie appeared before the fallen warrior, determined to bring him back to the light." _

The chains binding Noctis were unclasped and he rose glaring at Lightning with crimson eyes; his armor had changed from pale blue and gold to jet black and red. He held his sword in front of his face and stared at the blade before pointing it at Lightning who mirrored his movements. With the help of some holographic effects the backdrop of the stage was altered to look like a dark city with a temple.

"_The warriors' decisive battle was to take place in the Unseen Realm of Valhalla." _

As the narrator's voice faded away there was a flash of lightning and the two lunged at one another, swords gripped tightly in their hands. They clashed with one another again and again swords dancing in a magnificent display of swordsmanship and skill, a product of much of their time training. The crowd didn't see it, but the two were smiling at one another, thrilled to be testing their skills once again.

"Why are you smiling?" Lightning said as their blades collided with one another. "Aren't you supposed to be the nameless warrior void of memories?"

Noctis grinned, "True, but it may be hard to tell in the audience when we're moving around like this; besides, I never thought I would say this but this vacation is turning out pretty well." The prince frowned, "Don't tell Prompto or Gladiolus I said that." Noctis muttered which caused Lightning to let out a small laugh.

"Don't worry." She said as they jumped back from one another.

Noctis smiled and mouthed "Thanks" before charging after Lightning once again.

Lightning held her ground knowing from Noctis's charge that it was about time to finish the battle scene. "I'll free you from the darkness." She shouted before taking up an iainuki stance and her sword began to glow. As Noctis got closer and closer her sword glowed brighter and brighter. The whole theater was bathed in the warm light the sword emitted and when Noctis was within striking distance, Lightning's sword became her name and flashed bright for a mere instant before the light faded away. The crowd was silent and watched as Noctis's armor began to crack, lights emanating from the fractures. As more cracks formed the jet black color of Noctis's armor began to dissolve and the pale blue color began to appear once again.

The backdrop changed once more to flat water plain and a low sitting chair emerged at the center of the stage.

"This is Order's Sanctuary. Welcome back warrior." Lightning said before sheathing her sword.

Noctis smiled and stared up at the ceiling of the theater which was magically transformed into a sky of dark clouds with rays of light piercing through them. "I thank you Valkyrie and Cosmos. I finally remember. My name is…"

The lights suddenly faded and the theater was left in silence. When the lights were turned on once again the whole cast of the play was standing in a row, Zidane was at the microphone once again. "Please give it up for our two volunteers for the night, Lightning and Noctis!" Zidane shouted before clapping his hands. Immediately the crowd joined in and gave the whole cast a standing ovation.

Prompto jumped up in his seat, "W-What?! That's it?! That can't be it!" He shouted looking completely panicked. The blond ran over to Ignis and shook the man by his shoulders. "What's his name Ignis?! What's the nameless warrior's name?!"

"T-The stories n-never mentioned!" Ignis said as Prompto shook him back and forth.

"Unacceptable! Hope is this true?!" Prompto asked frantically.

Hope confirmed Ignis's answer with a nervous smile and nod of his head causing Prompto to sink into his seat to ponder the nameless warrior's name.

The whole cast linked hands with Lightning and Noctis at the center. The two hesitated before taking the others hand but eventually did with a small blush on their faces. The whole cast raised their arms and took a bow thanking the crowd for all of their care.

**Paradigm Shift**

Many of the people who attended the show at the theater were talking about it even when the show had ended. As the group made their way to the hotel where they had made reservations, they saw people acting out scenes from the various acts of the show. Many others ran to Noctis and Lightning asking them for autographs and pictures. Noctis didn't seem fazed, he was used to such treatment being a prince, though it didn't mean he liked the attention. Nevertheless he treated his admirers with respect. Lightning however, felt uncomfortable finding the extra attention slightly suffocating. Whenever someone asked to get a picture of or with her she would always hold a stoic expression on her face which caused her friends to laugh.

"Hey, you never told me you were so good at acting Noct!" Prompto suddenly brought up something everyone was curious of but forgot about. "Then again you hardly had any lines, but hey, even expressionless you seemed like a different person up there." The blond threw an arm over Noctis's shoulder and cupped his mouth with his hand before whispering in his ear. "By the way, what's the nameless warrior's name?" He asked curiously.

Noctis simply shrugged and continued to search for the hotel. "I was never informed on his name. The stories simply refer to him as the 'Nameless Warrior.'"

Prompto sighed, "Well that's no fun…"

"We told you." Ignis and Hope said in unison.

Vanille had been walking with Prompto but skipped ahead to walk with Lightning and Serah. "What about you Light? Where did you take acting lessons?" She asked curiously.

"She didn't." Serah responded, answering for her sister.

Vanille blinked in disbelief, "She didn't?" She repeated.

Serah nodded. "I'm pretty sure I know how she picked it up so fast though." Serah said with a giggle.

"There's no way I was going to let Noctis beat me." Lightning clarified as she shot a look towards the prince.

Vanille laughed, "Should have known."

The group continued to make light conversation as they searched for the hotel and after wandering around aimlessly for several minutes, Noctis and Lightning decided to look at a directory and found that the hotel was really close. As soon as the large building came into view everyone ran through the front doors except for Noctis. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw a woman dressed in a blue and white dress. She was standing by a flower cart with a man with black spiky hair. Noctis stuck his hand in his pocket and found he still had so gil left which led him towards the flower cart.

The pair selling the flowers greeted Noctis with warm smiles. The man with the spiky hair spoke first. "Hey there stranger, care to by some flowers? This angel came all the way from Midgar to sell them." The man said pointed at the woman beside him.

She blushed and gave the man a small push. "Please excuse him." She said with a small bow.

Noctis smiled at the two, "Not a problem. I can tell these flowers have been tended to with lots of care." He surveyed all of the flowers in the cart; one caught his eye in particular, a flower with crystal like petals the color of the sky, hidden amongst larger flowers. "How much for this one?" Noctis asked holding up the flower he had seen as a child.

The man held up one finger and grinned. "One billion gil- oww!"

"Zack don't be ridiculous." The woman said pinching the man's ear.

"They're all one gil sir." She answered politely.

Noctis was surprised at the price of such beautiful flowers and rather than paying them one gil, he gave them one thousand which shocked the two.

"S-Sir this is too much!" The woman said trying to return the excess amount of gil Noctis gave them.

The prince simply raised his hand, "Please keep the gil. These flowers look priceless; this one in particular is very valuable to me. I would be happy if you accepted the money. I'd like to see more of these flowers." Noctis said with a warm smile.

The woman and man were in complete disbelief and thanked Noctis for his generosity; they even gave him an assorted bouquet of various flowers and waved goodbye as Noctis walked towards the hotel. Before he entered through the doors he heard the man say, "Hey Aerith! Operation Fill the World with Flowers and Wallet full of Money is doing great! We'll be able to see these flowers all around the world!"

**Paradigm Shift**

"That will be room XIII-2 Ms. Farron." The receptionist told Lightning handing her the key to her room. Lightning was glad to finally have arrived at the hotel after all the wandering.

"Hey Light, is it alright if Fang, Vanille and I go to check on some of the other attractions a little longer? Serah asked her sister with a pleading sparkle in her eyes.

Before Lightning had time to respond Vanille joined Serah and stared at Lightning with the same pleading look.

Fang let out a chuckle, "Hey Sunshine, I say you owe us for those punches and kicks you sent our way when getting you into that dress."

Lightning groaned recalling the disdainful memory and sighed. "Alright." She said approving their request. "But I expect you all back in an hour. If you're even one second late I won't be so forgiving." She gave Serah a glare.

Serah laughed and gave her sister a hug. "No worries Light. And thank you, this vacation is turning out great."

Lightning smiled and gave her sister a warm hug before seeing them off. When she saw the doors close behind Serah, Lightning walked towards the elevator and pressed the button which would take her to the floor her room was located.

"Do you think she'll be angry?" Serah asked Vanille and Fang on their way to see the other attractions.

"If she is, we won't be the only ones in trouble. This was a team effort along with the guys." Fang said slyly.

**Paradigm Shift **

"Mr. Noctis is it?" The receptionist asked looking up Noctis's room information on a holo panel.

Noctis nodded confirming his identification.

The receptionist traced her finger down a long list of names on the holo panel before locating the prince's name. "Ah! Here you are! Room XIII-2 Mr. Noctis."

The prince thanked the receptionist after receiving his key and headed towards the elevator to find his room.

**End Chapter**

Xethear: Dun dun dunnnn. Beware Noctis and Lightning! Your friends are scheming!


	16. A Brief Respite

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy does not belong to me.

Xethear: Hello everyone! Construction is still going on and I've yet to move back into my room with all the boxes piling up. Comic-con is nearing so that will be something to look forward to! I present Chapter 16! Many thanks for the reviews on the last chapter!

**Chapter 16: A Brief Respite**

After passing various doors in the hallway Lightning finally came upon Room XIII-2. She pulled the key she had received from the receptionist out of her pocket and inserted it in the doorknob turning it counterclockwise unlocking the door. She walked in the room and turned on the lights. What she saw stopped her in her tracks. There was an elegant dining table and chairs set up in the room next to a sparkling kitchen. A couch, coffee table and television was located in the center of the room and a door with a design of the spirits Leviathan and Shiva which Lightning assumed was the bathroom was located at the far end of the room. A king sized bed and closet was set near the window terrace which highlighted a breathtaking view of the amusement park. It was a beautiful luxurious room and for a moment, Lightning thought she had walked in someone else's room but after a quick check out in the hall she confirmed that the room number XIII-2 was clearly posted on the door.

Slightly confused she walked back inside the room and shut the door behind her. "I wonder if all of the rooms are this luxurious…" She murmured to herself softly as she placed her hand on the kitchen counter admiring its shine. "I'm sure Serah will like this room." She stretched her arms and walked towards the couch and picked up the remote resting on the coffee table and quickly turned the television on switching it to the chocobo racing channel just so that there was some background noise in the room. Lightning watched as the chocobos ran around the track for a few seconds before walking back to the kitchen. She opened the refrigerator curious to what was inside and was surprised to see it filled with ingredients.

'_This might be my chance to practice and surprise Serah when she gets back.' _Lightning thought to herself. She concluded that after a shower she would try and prepare dinner in order to surprise Serah with a delicious meal. Determined to see her plan through she nodded in confidence and walked to the restroom to start her shower.

**Paradigm Shift **

Noctis counted the doors of the rooms he passed in his head silently as he searched for Room XIII-2. After passing what he counted were twelve rooms he finally found it and quickly unlocked the door eager to set the flowers he purchased somewhere safe.

Immediately after walking in the room Noctis found several things that were strange. One was that the lights were already turned on along with the tv located in the center of the room. The other was that the room seemed very luxurious. Seeing how the tv was on the chocobo racing channel the prince concluded that Prompto and Gladiolus were in the room before him. Earlier as he was walking in the hall he saw Prompto and Gladiolus grinning at him saying he was going to be surprised when he found his room after which the two left to see more of what the amusement park had to offer.

Noctis sighed as he turned his attention to the tv. "You guys could have at least shut the tv off before you left." He said as he watched the several chocobos pick up speed while others slowed down. "Good thing Prompto didn't place a bet again. Volg is in the lead and Prompto is at a loss of gil as is."

After watching the chocobos for a few minutes Noctis turned his attention to other aspects of the room. The king sized bed was practically calling his name urging him to take a nap, but Noctis decided he would take a shower first. The battle with Lightning at the theater made him work up a good sweat. He set the flowers on the coffee table in front of the couch and walked over to the foot of the bed. He stretched his arms and let out a deep sigh before removing his shirt and placed it over the footboard of the bed telling himself he would put it elsewhere later and eagerly headed towards the restroom.

Noctis opened the door to the restroom only to be attacked by a cloud of warm steam. "What the-" He waved his arm around trying to clear his vision of the obscuring steam and froze as soon as some of the steam cleared up. In the center of the room was Lightning. She wore a white tank top with horizontal blue stripes which complimented her eyes, blue shorts which matched the stripes on her tank top and a pair of bath slippers – the most revealing attire he had ever seen her in. There was a towel on her head indicating that she was in the middle of drying her hair but stopped. She was staring at the shirtless Noctis.

As soon as they realized they were in one another's presence their faces turned crimson red and they spoke in unison once again.

"W-What are you doing here?!" They yelled at one another. Both were panicked and completely flustered.

Noctis tried to cover his eyes but peeked between his fingers to admire Lightning's beauty. Lightning in turn threw the towel she was drying her hair with at Noctis's face.

"Where do you think you're looking?!" She shouted before charging after the prince.

Noctis struggled to remove the damp towel from his face. "W-Wait Light!" I-I didn't mean to-" He threw the towel in front of him and looked up in time to see Lightning running at him. She had picked up too much momentum and was unable to stop herself from stepping and slipping on the towel sending her crashing into Noctis. Both fell out of the restroom and onto the carpeted floor.

It took a moment for Noctis to recover from the fall but as soon as he did he nearly passed out; Lightning had fallen on top of him. He could feel her chest pressed against him through the thin fabric of her tank top and his body became stiff. He refrained from making any sudden movements which might earn him a smack or punch.

"I-I can't believe I tripped on a towel…" Lightning said as she too began to recover from the fall. She placed her hands on what she thought to be the floor and pushed herself up, but instead of feeling the cold floor, she felt something warm. She slowly looked down and saw that she was pressing her hands against the bare chest of a blushing Noctis who had turned his head away from her. Lightning quickly leapt off Noctis and backed away until her back hit the wall. "W-What are you-"

"It looks like we're both surprised." Noctis slowly got up and stretched his back. "Even though you tripped, that was some tackle Light." He seemed to regain some of his composure but immediately became flustered once again when he saw Lightning blushing in addition to her attire. "I-I think this is Prompto and Gladiolus's doing." He explained without looking in Lightning's direction, embarrassed that his eyes might wander. "I passed by them in the hallway before I got here and they were acting really suspicious."

"P-Put a shirt on or go take a shower. W-We'll talk after." Lightning said looking away from the prince.

Noctis forgot that he had removed his shirt before entering the restroom and let out a shy laugh. "Sorry about that." He scratched his head and walked towards the closet. He pulled out his luggage bag and rummaged through it trying to find a new change of clothes. As soon as he found some of the designated articles of clothing he headed towards the restroom. Before he walked passed Lightning both took a glance at one another and quickly looked away when they made eye contact. Before Noctis closed the door Lightning heard his voice. "Beautiful as always Light. Oh, the flowers are for you."

Lightning placed her hand over her chest and took a deep breath. "Idiot." She murmured trying to calm her rapidly beating heart. She walked over to the coffee table and smiled as she took in the sweet scent of the beautiful flowers.

Behind the restroom door Noctis took deep breaths to calm the warm pounding in his chest. "Well… one thing is for sure. I don't need that nap now."

**Paradigm Shift **

Noctis looked at himself in the restroom mirror as he dried his hair with a towel. He had changed into a new pair of pants but found that he didn't get a new shirt when he rummaged through his luggage bag earlier. "I'll just grab one once I'm out there." He decided. After fixing his hair to where he found it to be satisfactory, Noctis let the towel hang around his neck and left the restroom in a cloud of steam only to enter a cloud of smoke.

"W-What is this?" He coughed up some of the smoke he inhaled. Noctis looked towards the kitchen and saw a panicked Lightning holding a flaming frying pan over the stove. "Light!" He shouted and ran to her. After quickly turning the cold water of the tap on Noctis helped Lightning bring the flaming pan to the sink. He took a deep breath and quickly blew on the flame to weaken it for a second and then brought it over the cold running water. The pan hissed like a wild animal as the water cascaded onto the hot surface.

"Why does this keep happening?" Lightning asked herself and wiped the sweat off her brow with her arm.

Noctis discovered that the day held many surprises. It was his first time playing games with Lightning, acting on stage, seeing her in new attire - which now had the addition of an apron - and now cooking in addition to a new hairstyle - she had her hair tied into a messy bun.

"What were you trying to cook?" He looked around trying to find something that might have caught on fire.

"Behemoth…" Lightning answered sullenly. "But things always tend to burn whenever I cook."

Noctis let out a laugh as he cleaned the pan. He recalled that one day during their training Lightning had admitted cooking wasn't something she specialized in. "Behemoth meat is very fatty. When the fat comes into contact with the flames you can bet there will probably be a fire." He explained with a mentor like tone. "It's difficult to cook at times so don't blame yourself."

"How do you know so much about cooking?" She had to admit she was curious, she never expected the prince to be one for cooking.

"Without me the other guys would either starve or order out to eat." He scrubbed off the burnt remains sticking onto the pan. "Prompto has good presentation, but his food is inedible, Ignis throws too many bitter things together he says 'are packed with vitamins' and the flavors come out horrible. And Gladiolus, he's like a giant bear who raids the kitchen and somehow breaks the equipment when he attempts to cook."

Lightning laughed, she imagined it all too well. "So I suppose you always cook for them then?"

Noctis nodded and dried the pan off with a wash cloth before setting it on the stove once again. "It's either that, or one of them treats us to eat out." He walked to the refrigerator and gathered some vegetables. After kicking the refrigerator door behind him Noctis walked to the kitchen counter and set the vegetables on a cutting board. "Show me your knife skills." He handed Lightning a knife.

She took it without hesitation and aligned the vegetables on the cutting board keeping them in place with her hand. She rapidly cut them with impressive speed and accuracy which Noctis found unbelievable. He had to admit, her knife skills were even better than his.

After chopping up all the vegetables Lightning placed the knife on the cutting board and spun around to face Noctis. "How was that?" She asked with a confident smirk.

Noctis laughed, "Okay, okay, you're really good with swords and knives." He examined the finely cut vegetables before transferring them to a tray. "You cut them better than I would have."

Noctis then opened a cabinet and smiled, he was glad to find the seasonings he wanted and gathered them all up. One by one he pointed to the seasonings and began explaining how much of each to add to the vegetables but stopped when he saw that Lightning wasn't looking at him. "Light? What's wrong?"

She glanced at him with a blush on her face and held out an apron. "Go get a shirt or put this on."

Noctis had completely forgotten that he neglected to get a shirt when he rushed over to the kitchen after smelling the smoke. He chuckled and took the apron before walking to the closet to find a top to wear. After a few minutes he returned to the kitchen wearing a black tank top in contrast to Lightning's white one. "Is this alright?" He asked her teasingly.

"Shut up." Lightning punched him lightly on the shoulder. "What's next?"

He threw the apron over his head and washed his hands before starting where he left off on the vegetables.

"I already seasoned them according to your directions." Lightning explained.

Noctis took a spoon from a drawer and sure enough when he tried the vegetables they tasted of the familiar recipe of the behemoth dish he was thinking of. "Very nice. Did you try some? They can really be eaten like this but they taste much better after some time in the oven." He took a small portion of the vegetables in the spoon and held it in front of Lightning's lips.

"W-What are you doing?!" Her face burned at the thought of eating from a spoon that was in the prince's mouth, let alone letting him feed her.

"Does my breath smell that bad?" Noctis asked looking slightly downcast.

"I can feed myself!" She shouted before taking the spoon out of the prince's hands. She hesitated and stared at the spoon for a moment but then quickly ate the bite of food. She chewed slowly still getting over the fact that she ate something which touched Noctis's mouth and recalled the time in the forest. Suddenly the flavor his her and her eyes grew wide.

Noctis laughed, "Good huh?"

Lightning nodded savoring the lingering taste of the seasoned vegetables, "Now I can't wait to taste them when they're actually cooked."

Noctis gave her a thumbs up. "Right then! Now onto the main course!" He examined the large slice of behemoth and then traced a finger over the top indicating how much of the meat Lightning should cut off.

Lightning traced the same area of the behemoth with her finger making sure she had the directions right and after a nod of confirmation from Noctis, she quickly made quick work of the meat cutting it into equal portions. After seasoning the meat it was time to give them a nice sear.

Noctis watched over the meat intently making sure it didn't burn and directed Lightning to flip the meat every now and then until all the sides developed a nice seared crust. After the first portion of meat was seared to perfection they took turns cooking all the other portions for their friends.

"That's the last of it." Noctis said as he placed the last portion of meat onto the tray with vegetables. He wiped the sweat off his forehead and sighed. "Time to put everything in the oven. It should take between one to two hours, we'll check on it every now and then." Lightning set a timer on the kitchen counter so that neither of them would forget to check on the meat.

The two made their way to the couch and sat down with a good two feet of space between them too nervous to sit next to one another after the events that unfolded earlier. For a moment the only noise in the room came from the chocobos on the tv as the two sat in awkward silence.

The sudden sound of Lightning clearing her throat broke the silence. "So what was that about Prompto and Gladiolus?"

Noctis recalled leaving their earlier conversation off until after his shower. "Right, well they were acting pretty suspicious in the hall. They were grinning and laughing which usually means they're up to something. To top it off they said I would 'be surprised.'" Noctis scratched his cheek and turned away from Lightning. "I have to admit, I was pretty surprised." His cheeks were red. "I doubt those two were the only ones involved in this though… really, putting us in the same room."

Lightning clenched her fists. "I'm going to destroy them." She looked frustrated and embarrassed at the same time.

Noctis quickly searched for something to allow Lightning to release some of her pent of anger and reached for the closest thing to him – a throw pillow on the couch. "Here Light, hit this." He held the throw pillow in front of his chest.

Lightning raised an eyebrow, "I can control myself."

Noctis smirked, "Yes but this will help." He clenched the sides of the throw pillow tighter with his fingers.

Lightning sighed and punched the throw pillow swiftly and retracted her fist.

Noctis felt nothing at first but then slight pain surged through his chest. He winced, "Talk about a delayed blow."

Lightning laughed which caused Noctis to smile. "You're right, I do feel better. Thanks for that." She gradually allowed her body to relax and she sunk into the couch and turned her attention to the tv. The two sat and watched the chocobos race in comforting silence; they each took turns changing the channel during commercial breaks, as well as checking on the food in the oven. Though they didn't notice it, every time one of them returned to the couch, the space between them decreased until they were finally sitting next to one another.

About half an hour passed and it was Lightning's turn to check on the meat. "It still needs more time." She said after poking one of the pieces of meat with a skewer. After shutting the oven door she grabbed two water bottles from the refrigerator and shut the door with a nudge of her knee. "Noct, catch!" She threw the water bottle in Noctis's direction and he caught it with ease.

"Thanks." He said with a smile.

Lightning opened her water bottle and took a sip before sitting down in her seat. "So what did I miss?"

Noctis took a gulp of his water. "Nothing much, Volg is still in the lead." They watched as the black chocobo soared on the racetrack. "By the way things are going; Prompto would be on the losing end of a chocobo wager if he was betting gil."

"He always seems to lose wagers." Lightning recalled the blond telling the story of his endeavors against the crane game.

Noctis sighed and placed his water bottle on the coffee table. "There's usually no helping it. Though he doesn't have much of a choice but to stop when he loses all of his gil."

Lightning nodded in agreement.

As more time passed Lightning could feel her eyes getting heavy. Every few minutes she would close her eyes in an attempt to get some rest. Noctis found it to be cute and funny at the same time.

"You're making things more complicated than they need to be. You woke up early and you're probably lacking sleep. It wouldn't hurt to get some rest." He saw her turn around and look at the timer. Before she could protest he stopped her. "Don't worry about it, I'll look at dinner."

Lightning yawned and closed her eyes. "Wake me up when it's done. I want to finish what we started."

"Yes ma'am Ms. Farron." Noctis said mockingly as he mimicked what younger cadets would address her as.

Lightning punched Noctis on the arm with her eyes closed, "Shut it." She said as she slowly drifted off to sleep.

After several minutes of changing the channels on the tv Noctis stood up and checked on the meat and vegetables in the oven like he said he would. As he opened the oven, the delicious aroma of the food filled the room. "It's almost done." Noctis said with a satisfied smile.

He closed the oven and returned to the couch; as soon as he took a seat the sudden addition of his weight to the couch caused Lightning to sway in his direction causing her to rest her head on his shoulder. He froze as he felt her unconsciously cuddle into the crook of his neck. Her warmth comforted him and he could smell the subtle scent of strawberries from the shampoo she used in her shower earlier. Never did he think something like this would happen, and though it wasn't intentional, there they were.

He slowly turned his head to get a look of Lightning without making any sudden moves that would wake her. A light blush appeared on his face when he saw her sleeping expression and he carefully brushed her hair away from her eyes.

"Nnn…" Noctis's sudden touch caused Lightning to stir in her sleep causing him to freeze, afraid that the slightest motion would wake her. "Thank…" She began to mumble which roused the prince's curiosity. "…flowers…"

The last word caused Noctis to glance at the flowers resting in their vase; he noticed that the water had been changed and he smiled warmly at Lightning, "You're welcome."

**Paradigm Shift **

"…ight …Li... Light!"

Lightning rubbed her eyes and blinked as Noctis gently shook her by the shoulder to wake her up.

"Morning Ms. Bedhead." Noctis laughed at Lightning's unamused expression complimented by her semi-messy hair. "It's time to take the food out of the oven."

Lightning yawned and did a few stretches to warm her body up before walking to the kitchen. Noctis handed her some oven mitts and opened the oven door; the cooked vegetables and meat filled the kitchen with a savoring aroma. Lightning carefully pulled the tray out of the oven and set it on a rack Noctis had placed on the kitchen counter.

"Now we just cover the tray in foil and let it rest for a bit and in the meantime we can make some dessert." Noctis began to gather dessert ingredients as Lightning took a sheet of foil to cover the dish with.

"You sure are going all out with this dinner aren't you Noct?" She glanced at Noctis who was browsing the kitchen cabinet for ingredients.

"Today is vacation day." He said as he grabbed a container of sugar from the cabinet. "And honestly, it's really fun cooking with you." He turned around to see Lightning holding up a fork with meat and vegetables to his lips. She was chewing and blushing but had her head turned away from him.

"It's good." She said as she finished chewing and swallowing a portion she had cut for herself. Earlier, before she had covered the dish in foil she was curious as how it would taste and cut two pieces off for Noctis and herself.

It was Noctis's turn to blush at the thought of eating from the fork Lightning had eaten from. _'Indirect kiss' _continued to run in his head.

Lightning raised an eyebrow, "Does my breath smell?" She said in an amused tone using Noctis's words against him.

Noctis shook his head and quickly took the bite of food. As his lips touched the fork his face began to burn as he thought of his lips touching Lightning's lips instead; he chewed slowly and savored the taste.

"I-It tastes better than how I usually cook it." He couldn't dismiss his obvious embarrassment. He cleared his throat, "R-Right then. So dessert I was thinking we make éclairs."

The last word Noctis said made Lightning freeze, she quickly regained her composure but not before Noctis noticed her reaction.

"Do you not like éclairs Light? We could make something else if-"

"No they're fine." She said bluntly. "What do we do first?"

Noctis pondered for a moment and thought of ways to enhance the dessert so that if Lightning disliked them, there was an alternative. "First we'll make the éclairs, and then we can fill them with a berry mousse." He set a pot filled with water, butter and some salt onto the stove and set it to boil.

After instructing Lightning how to incorporate the other ingredients together to make their pastry, the two set the dessert in the oven after shaping it on a tray and then began working on the mousse.

"Whisk just the whites of the Apkallu eggs until you get it to a fluffy texture. You're going to have to whisk in pretty fast to incorporate air into it Light." Noctis demonstrated before handing the bowl and whisk to Lightning. "While you do that I'll make the berry mix." Dividing their tasks made it easier for the two to complete the dessert in less time.

After several minutes of whisking, Lightning had gotten the Apkallu egg whites to change form from liquid to a stiff peaked cream. "How is this Noct?" She handed the bowl over to Noctis who nodded with satisfaction.

"This is just what we need for-" He stopped and covered his mouth to keep from laughing. Because Lightning was so determined and focused on her task she failed to notice that some of the stiff peak egg whites got on her face; Noctis assumed it was an result of her whisking too fast.

"What's so funny?" Lightning crossed her arms looking slightly annoyed. "If it's not good enough then-" She was silenced when Noctis placed a finger on her cheek. Her reflex automatically caused her arm to swat his hand away. "What are you doing?!" Her face was red and she placed her hand over the area where his finger had touched her.

"You were whisking too fast." He held up his finger which had evidence to back up his words. "The same thing happened to me the first time I tried this recipe." He said with a laugh.

"Don't you have berries to be attending to?" Lightning snapped and took the bowl from Noctis and spun around to hide her embarrassment.

"Yes Ms. Farron." He said with sarcasm and turned his attention to the berries once again.

"Hey Noct."

"Hmm?" Noctis turned around only to be hit lightly with a wooden spoon to the face filled with the stiff peak egg whites.

"Now I'm not the only one that's messy." She said with a triumphant smirk.

Noctis chuckled, "Fair enough." He said and then puréed a mix of assorted berries together.

Soon after, the two had dinner prepared for themselves and their friends.

"We did a pretty good job." Noctis said he observed the set dining table. It wasn't big enough to accommodate all the plates for their friends and themselves so they set more plates on the coffee table and kitchen counter.

"Hey Noct." Noctis turned to Lightning who seemed to have been deep in thought. When she looked up at him he could see there was a gleam in her eyes. "I think I know a way to get the others back for what they did."

A smile formed on Noctis's face as Lightning explained the plan that just came to her. After finishing her explanation Noctis took a container filled with a red item from a cabinet and gave Lightning a high five.

**Paradigm Shift **

Noctis and Lightning sent messages to their friends and told them to come to their room for dinner. The women were the first to arrive, Serah looked nervous, both at the thought of the trick their friends played on the two and at the thought of Lightning cooking without her.

"Wow, that Zidane guy wasn't kidding." Fang whistled at the lavish room and walked out to the window terrace to admire the view.

Both Lightning and Noctis looked slightly confused. "What did Zidane do?"

Vanille plopped down on the couch with Serah and admired the flowers placed on the coffee table. "During the show we sort of came up with a little trick, you two have probably noticed by now." She explained. She turned around to see Lightning and Noctis's reaction, but quickly grabbed the nearest throw pillow to hide behind when she saw them crossing their arms and staring intently at her.

"We noticed." They said in unison. Both recalled the moment where they first saw the other in the room and blushed at the thought.

Vanille clapped her hands together in front of her face apologetically. "We're sorry Light! We were just curious as to what would happen! You two act really funny when you're together and the play earlier made things more interesting!"

"Zidane helped reserve the room for you two when Prompto proposed the idea, he said think of it as a thanks for helping the troupe out." Serah explained.

Noctis glanced over at the refrigerator. "We're you all responsible for all the convenient cooking ingredients?"

Vanille nodded and imitated Prompto, "We'll buy some ingredients from the money we earned at the coliseum so Noct can make us dinner!"

Everyone looked at Noctis, his head was down, his fists were clenched and his body started to shake. No one could tell what he was feeling because his hair had covered his face when he dropped his head down. "So… they think I'll just cook for them if there are ingredients do they?" He said in a low voice. He looked up, eyes blazing and he held up his clenched fist. "I'm not their chef! Just wait until they get here." Noctis let out a low sinister laugh as if he was possessed, as he plotted his vengeance. Vanille and Serah hugged one another intimidated by Noctis's transformation.

Lightning flicked him on the forehead which immediately snapped him out of his trance. "Don't laugh like that again."

"Oww. I was joking." Noctis rubbed his forehead. "Besides we have a plan to get them back anyways."

Lightning nodded. "Right, and now we know of another place we can spend some time at."

Noctis grinned as he stared into Lightning's eyes.

"Coliseum."

**End Chapter**

Xethear: What are those two planning? We shall find out!

Noctis: Our plan is full proof.

Lightning: Right.

Xethear: You two sure can cook! Let me have a taste next time. You two were too busy feeding one another.

Lightning and Noctis: S-Shut up!


	17. Mysteries Abound

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy doth not belong to me.

Xethear: Many thanks to my guest reviewers and those who reviewed the last chapter as well as the previous chapters! Much appreciation to you all and I'm glad to know you all are enjoying! Here is chapter 17!

**Chapter 17: Mysteries Abound **

After Serah, Vanille and Fang arrived; it only took several more minutes for the rest of the group to arrive at Room XIII-2. Earlier, a majority of the noise that filled the room had been from the tv, but now the tv was drowned out by all the liveliness the group brought to the room. Gladiolus was out on the window terrace with Fang, Snow was being lectured by Lightning, Ignis decided to take notes on Lightning's lecture, Serah was asking Noctis about the food, Sazh was giving Dajh an airplane ride on his shoulders and Prompto, Vanille and Hope were watching an encore of the chocobo races.

"So when is dinner Noct?" Prompto asked as soon as the chocobo races cut to a commercial.

Prompto's question was answered when Lightning removed the foil covering the Fond de Behemoth dish. The whole room was filled with the familiar aroma already known by the two who prepared the dish. As soon as the aroma filled the other's noses, their stomachs growled almost simultaneously. Everyone took their respective seats, Noctis, Lightning, Serah, Snow, Sazh and Dajh sat at the dining table, Prompto, Vanille and Hope took their seats at the couch and Gladiolus and Fang took their plates to the terrace.

Everyone could only stare at their food in amazement as it sat on their plates; it looked like a gourmet meal; there were assorted veggies and a large piece of meat cut into halves on each plate.

"Are you all just going to stare or eat?" Noctis looked amused at everyone's expressions.

"Daddy?" Dajh called out to his father without taking his eyes of the food on the plate in front of him.

"What is it Dajh?" Sazh held the same bewildered expression his son had.

Dajh looked up at Sazh, "It looks really good!" He exclaimed and picked up a fork.

Prompto glanced at Ignis who was staring at the dish in amazement as well. Prompto cupped his hands over his mouth, "Pssst, Ignis. Can I borrow your phone?"

Ignis gave him a confused look, "What for?" He asked as he reached into his pocket for his phone.

"We need to take a picture of this amazing looking meal!" He whispered excitedly.

Noctis rolled his eyes and cut into the piece of meat which rested on his plate. Lightning did the same and pierced several vegetables along with the tender slice of meat with her fork.

Prompto suddenly rose from his seat when he saw that Noctis and Lightning were about to eat. "Hold it!" He held his hands out right before their forks touched their lips. "We're going to take the first bite all together!"

"What for?" Lightning tapped her fingers on the dining table impatiently.

"Yeah! Sunshine is right, let's get to eating already!" Fang yelled and held up her fork.

"This meal looks special! I want to see everyone's reactions at the same time!" The blond explained giving Lightning a thumbs up. His gesture was returned by Lightning's piercing gaze causing him to flinch and utter a nervous laugh.

Lightning crossed her arms. "Hurry up then before the food gets cold."

"So how do we know when to all take a bite?" Gladiolus asked Prompto while trying to keep an impatient Fang from starting without everyone else.

"How about a countdown-"

Lightning rolled her eyes, "Eat!" She commanded and stuck the food in her mouth.

Everyone followed Lightning's lead and took a bite of their food. Their mouths were immediately enveloped in a cascade of flavors; there was no need to say anything, their actions expressed their feelings as they took a second and then third bite.

"Thish ish amazing Noct." Gladiolus said through a mouthful of food as he and Fang scarfed their food down.

"You… wreally owwdid yourshelf with this Noct!" Prompto complimented in the same fashion as Gladiolus. He almost choked trying to swallow all the food in his mouth; luckily Vanille was close to give him a glass of water.

Hope finished swallowing his food before speaking. "Really, this is amazing, how did you prepare it Noctis? Ignis and the others did say you were a really good chef."

Noctis chuckled, "Actually…" he paused and wiped his mouth with a napkin before continuing. "Lightning was the one to cook this."

The room suddenly got quiet and the sound of a fork dropping onto the coffee table filled the room. Prompto slowly turned to Serah, "W-Will we be okay?" He stuttered. Suddenly a knife zoomed past Prompto's head and stuck to the wall in front of him with a thud. He spun around and saw an annoyed looking Lightning.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" She looked for another utensil to throw and saw Noctis offering her his fork. She gave him a small nod signifying her thanks and took the fork from his hands.

Prompto quickly constructed a fortress of throw pillows around himself. "I-I didn't mean it like that! It was just surprising is all after the stories we heard."

Lightning turned to Serah and raised her brow. "What did you tell them?" She crossed her arms and drummed her fingers on her arm as she awaited an answer.

"N-Nothing!" Serah responded with a nervous laugh. "I'm actually really surprised and happy Light! It tastes wonderful, though you didn't have to do this."

Lightning blushed from the compliment but turned her head to keep Serah from seeing her embarrassment. "I had some help." She murmured which was received by a smile from Noctis.

"You did great Light." Noctis said as he placed a bottle of Bacchus Cider on the table.

Gladiolus and Fang immediately rushed to the table. "Alright! Can I get a glass Noct? And one for the pretty lady too." He put his arm around Fang's shoulder who then elbowed his ribs.

"Just get the whole bottle Glade." She gave him a smirk.

"Glade? What happened to the Volg nickname?" Noctis asked curiously.

Gladiolus laughed, "She says that I need a special nickname, a name that doesn't belong to a chocobo."

Noctis smiled, "I see, alright here you are." He poured the two each a glass of cider. "A special name huh."

Sazh thanked Noctis after receiving a glass and asked whether there were any other drinks. "I was maybe hoping there was something else to drink, for Dajh." The little boy whispered something in his father's ear causing Sazh to chuckle. "I know I know." He patted his son on the head. "He's not too fond of the old cider."

Noctis looked at Dajh and crouched down so that he was at eye level with the boy. "Don't worry, we have other drinks." He reassured them with a smile.

Lightning overheard the conversion and went to the fridge to get a bottle of Persikos au Lait. After finding the bottle of flavored milk, she took a glass from a nearby cabinet and walked over to the table. "Here you go Dajh." She handed him the glass of milk which he quickly began to drink.

Sazh laughed, "Slow down there, there's plenty more Dajh."

The boy let out a small burp and nodded his head. He gave Lightning a big smile and thanked her before continuing to eat his food.

Lightning smiled and ruffled the boy's hair before returning to her seat in time to see Snow offering a bite of food to a blushing Serah. Her instincts quickly took over and she threw her fork at Snow's spoon which sent both utensils to the floor.

Lightning flinched at the pouting expression her sister gave her in response to her actions.

"Don't worry Lightning, I brushed my teeth." Snow said with a laugh.

Lightning raised one eyebrow and crossed her arms before closing her eyes looking slightly annoyed. "Just this once, if you try it again in front of me, you'll be eating at one of the corners of the room."

Serah and Snow exchanged wide eyed looks at one another; they never received approval from Lightning for anything so her actions caught them off guard. The couple smiled and rose from their seats and approached Lightning from both sides and threw their arms around the older Farron.

"Thanks sis!" The two shouted together hugging Lightning tightly in their arms.

Lightning struggled to break free while the others watched with amusement. "Serah you can let go now!" She quickly freed her arms and pushed Snow away from her, "And I am not your sister Snow!" She shouted.

"Lightning sure knows how to liven things up." Gladiolus said with a chuckle.

"Of course, it's Sunshine after all." Fang added.

Lightning crossed her arms, shut her eyes and turned her head away from them, "Hmph."

Noctis smiled at Lightning and couldn't help but laugh out loud. His sudden laughter caused everyone to look at him; it was a warm gentle laugh that brought smiles to the others' faces.

"Wow, it's been a while since I've heard Noct laugh like that." Prompto said with a big grin and turned to give Gladiolus a small nod. Gladiolus grinned after seeing Prompto's silent signal and the two of them raced after Noctis. Both men threw one arm around the prince's neck and wrestled him to the ground.

"What's got you so happy huh Noct?" Gladiolus asked as he ruffled the prince's hair.

"Get off you two!" Noctis shouted as he attempted to break free of the duo's grip.

"They know how to liven things up as well." Hope smiled, despite them wrestling and shouting he, along with everyone else, could tell they were all having fun.

Ignis took a sip of his cider ignoring the commotion his three friends were making being used to their roughhousing. "More than you all know."

Lightning kept an emotionless expression on her face, but her façade was broken and replaced by a faint blush when she saw the prince's smile.

Serah was the only one to notice at the time and she smiled at her shy looking sister. "Don't fight your feelings Light." She murmured softly. "He looks at you the same way."

**Paradigm Shift**

Everyone had calmed down after some time and elapsed and after finishing their first half of the Fond de Behemoth and a good portion of veggies, the group moved on to the second half resting on their plate.

Everyone took a bite at the same time as they did at the start of the meal and their reactions remained the same, except for Gladiolus, Fang, Prompto, Vanille and Snow.

"Water! Waterrrrr!" Prompto and Snow leapt from their seats and ran for the kitchen sink quickly followed by Vanille, Gladiolus and Fang.

Noctis and Lightning continued to eat their food casually while the others stared at the four trying to get water.

"Milk will have a better effect on removing the heat." Noctis said casually. For a moment, the only sounds filling the room was the rush of water from the faucet and sounds from the tv; but soon the sound of the four scrambling over one another to the refrigerator was added.

"I've got it!" Vanille shouted raising up the bottle of Persikos au Lait before taking a big gulp. "That's better." She said with a sigh of relief while the remaining four drank the milk.

"Don't worry Dajh, there's more in the fridge." Lightning told the boy when she saw a worried expression on his face. Her reassurance quickly changed his worried expression into a cheerful one.

"Alright Noct, we know you sabotaged our food!" Prompto pointed his finger accusingly at Noctis who continued to casually eat his food.

"It was nothing more than a little payback." Lightning responded as she took a sip of her cider.

"Hang on now." Fang paused to fan her mouth. "Why is it that only our mouths are burning?"

Noctis wiped his mouth with the napkin that was resting beside his plate before answering. "Because out of everyone here, we suspected you five were the most suspicious."

"Suspicious for what?" Prompto asked as he chugged down the bottle of flavored milk.

Lightning quickly stood up from her chair and glared at the five suspects sitting on the floor. "For setting us up in the same room." She pointed at Noctis.

The five sitting on the floor were silent for a moment until Prompto began to laugh "Oh yeah! We were so caught up in the fun and seeing everyone so happy that we forgot about that, or at least I did!" He grinned at Noctis and Lightning and scratched the back of his head as the two looked at him in disbelief.

Soon, Gladiolus, Fang, Vanille and Snow began to laugh along with Prompto. "We should've seen it coming." Gladiolus said as he threw an arm over Prompto's shoulder.

"You guys said it'll be full proof!" Snow chuckled. "Well at least now we know what food not to eat right now."

Noctis rose from the table and gave them a smirk, "How about dessert?" He walked over to the counter and uncovered the tray of éclairs that he had prepared with Lightning.

Everyone crowded around the tray with a sparkle in their eyes. "They look so good!" Vanille squealed and reached out for one. Prompto quickly took her wrist and she gave him a confused look.

"Careful Vanille! They might be sabotaged with spice!" He gave the éclairs a suspicious look.

Vanille gasped and quickly withdrew her hand before turning to Lightning and Noctis. "Are they?"

Noctis and Lightning smiled at one another. "Maybe." Lightning said as she took an éclair and handed it to Serah. She smiled and thanked her sister.

"Only one way to find out." Noctis added as he took one of the pastries and handed it to Dajh who eagerly took the chocolate covered delight in his small hands.

The group of five who had their mouths overwhelmed with spice waited and watched as the others took a bite of an éclair.

"W-Wow, this is great!" Hope exclaimed before taking another bite.

Dajh looked up at his father, "Daddy, are you going to finish yours?" He said with his cheeks full.

Sazh let out a laugh, "Come on now Dajh, you haven't even finished the one in your hands."

"It has just the right amount of sweetness! I can't believe you got Light to cook some of these Noctis." Serah complimented.

Noctis noticed Serah's reaction to the éclairs and pondered whether or not they held a relation to Lightning's strange behavior towards the pastries while cooking them. "Serah, if you don't mind me asking…" He glanced over at Lightning and saw her talking to Hope and Ignis. "Lightning acted a little nervous when I said éclairs earlier while we were cooking them. Does she not like them?"

Serah was silent for a moment but then began to giggle. "Sorry Noctis, but I think it's best if you hear that answer from my sister. I'm sure she'll tell you eventually." After giving her vague response Serah gave Noctis a smile and walked over to where her sister was sitting.

Noctis felt slightly frustrated seeing as how his question remained unanswered. He tried to think of some of his own answers but ultimately he decided he would just have to ask Lightning another time.

"I can't take it anymore!" Prompto suddenly shouted. He reached out and took one of the remaining éclairs in his hand. "I'm taking the risk!" He took a large bite of the pastry and closed his eyes waiting for some sort of disdainful taste to attack his taste buds. Everyone stared at Prompto in silence, the blond remained motionless.

Vanille placed her hands over her mouth, "Oh no! Did Light and Noctis fill these with some sort of petrification dilution?!"

Snow glanced over at Lightning and Noctis who were staring at Prompto with blank expressions on their faces. "L-Look at them guys." He whispered to the others. "I think they really did do it, those blank merciless stares say it all!"

Ignis sighed, "Don't be ridiculous and Prompto stop being so dramatic." Prompto suddenly opened his eyes and grinned at everyone.

He took another bite of the éclair and spoke with his mouth full, "It's alright guys, these haven't been filled with spice, and they're amazing!"

At that moment, everyone who didn't have an éclair in their hand took one quickly and immediately took a bite. Vanille squealed in delight as she ate her dessert, "It's like eating a fluffy cloud of chocolate!" She noticed Prompto trying to sneak a bite of her éclair and pushed his face away with her free hand. "Finish yours first!"

Prompto whined and nibbled on his éclair, "Aww, so close!"

Lightning and Noctis smiled, pleased to see that their friends were enjoying something they put a lot of time into. Noctis then noticed Dajh looking at his father with a sad expression and walked over to them to see why. "What's wrong Dajh?"

The boy averted his eyes to his hands and fiddled his thumbs around shyly. "He wants to know if there are anymore." Sazh answered for his son. "It doesn't look like it though."

"No worries." Noctis crouched down and handed his éclair to a surprised looking Dajh. "It's alright Dajh, I had some to taste while Ms. Lightning and I were cooking it."

"She looks angry. Like how papa looks when chocobo and I made a mess in the house." Dajh whispered.

Noctis turned around and saw Lightning crossing her arms. He cupped his hands over his mouth and whispered back at Dajh, "She doesn't like it when I call her Ms. Lightning." He turned his head to look behind him again and saw Lightning tapping her foot on the ground; it was obvious she heard him. "Scary isn't she?" Noctis said teasingly.

Dajh smiled and laughed before thanking Noctis.

"You aren't funny Mr. Caelum." Lightning told Noctis as he walked over to her.

Noctis shivered when he heard her call him 'Mr. Caelum.' "Alright, I can understand why you don't like it now. I won't address you with uncomforting formality."

"Good." Lightning snapped. "Now umm…" She paused as if looking for the words she wanted to use. "Are you sure you don't want another of these?" She pointed at the bitten éclair in her hand. "I know you didn't eat much of these while we were cooking them. It was nice of you to say that to Dajh though. He looks really happy. Everyone does."

Noctis gave her a soft smile, "I'm glad that everyone is enjoying them, and I don't mind-"

Before Noctis could finish Lightning held her éclair up to his lips; she spoke without looking up at him. "You worked hard too. You deserve at least one bite." Her eyes were hidden behind her hair, as was the faint blush that appeared on her face.

Noctis noticed she had held up the bitten end of the éclair up to him and he couldn't help but blush. _'You did this earlier Noctis; it's nothing but a friendly gesture.'_ Noctis held his breath and quickly took a bite.

Lightning looked up and saw Noctis blushing with a straight face, but he seemed to enjoy it.

After finishing the bite he glanced at Lightning from the corner of his eyes and muttered a small thank you. The two were so fixated on one another that they didn't notice everyone else in the room was staring at them until Prompto whistled at them.

"Whew, does anyone know how to summon the ancient spirit Shiva, because things are heating up!" Prompto fanned himself with his hand.

Vanille squeezed and buried her face in a throw pillow. "That was so cute!" She yelled when she brought her head up. "When did you to get so close?"

Noctis and Lightning were completely embarrassed. They looked at their friends then at each other trying to figure out what to say.

Prompto grinned and shook his head. "Tsk tsk, even though it wasn't a direct kiss, it seems like that indirect kiss has stolen the words out of the lovebird's mouths."

"We are not loveb-" Noctis was interrupted by Gladiolus.

"We get it Noct, you two want to be alone." The man got up and put one arm around Fang, while he held his éclair in his other hand. "Let's go everyone!"

Without a word of protest everyone rushed out of the room with their dishes in hand and went to their respective rooms. Lightning and Noctis were left speechless as they saw their friends pass by them one by one with a smile on their faces. Prompto, Vanille and Serah were the last ones heading to the door when Lightning quickly seized Serah's wrist.

"Where are you staying Serah?!" Was all she could say with the chaotic thoughts running through her head.

Serah blinked innocently and gave her sister a sincere smile. "With Vanille and Fang to our room."

Lightning was relieved to hear that they were staying in gender specified rooms, but then a thought occurred to her. If all the girls were staying in one room and all the guys were as well, then what of Noctis and herself? She turned around to see Noctis pacing back and forth and she suspected he was thinking the same thing.

"Serah what room are you all stay-" Lightning stopped midsentence, when she turned around she saw a flash of red hair as Vanille dashed out the room with Serah.

"Thanks for the meal, have fun you too!" Prompto said with a wink and he quickly ran out the door. "Wait for me Vanille!"

Noctis and Lightning ran towards the door only in time to see their friends disappear at the corner of the hallway. All the commotion of the night had completely distracted the two making them forget that they were arranged to share a room for the night. The magnitude of the situation unfortunately hit them when they were alone together once again. One quick glance at one another had their faces glowing bright red.

Noctis coughed into his hand to clear the awkward tension. "R-Right then, well we'll have to think up of some more payback sometime."

Lightning cleared her throat as she tried to regain composure. "Yeah, we'll get them back for this."

Noctis nodded in agreement when he heard Lightning's response. "Alright, I suppose it's pretty late, we should get the dishes done." He covered his mouth with his hand feeling a yawn coming.

Lightning yawned along with him before picking her dishes up from the dining table. She brought them over to the sink and ran them under some hot water before she was joined by Noctis. The two of them decided to delegate jobs to one another as they did cooking. Noctis would wash the dishes and Lightning would dry them, making their task easier.

"That was one of the best meals I ever had." Noctis said as he scrubbed off some remains of Fond de Behemoth off his plate. Bubbles started to float around the two as the water reacted with the dish soap.

Lightning smiled as she finished drying off one plate with a towel. "The same goes for me." She said softly as Noctis handed her his plate.

"Hey Light?"

Lightning looked up at Noctis at the sound of his voice and saw him holding up a handful of accumulated bubbles. Without giving her any time to react Noctis blew the bubbles into her face. Lightning could only close her eyes as she felt the tiny bubbles gently pop against her face. Noctis covered his mouth and started to laugh when he saw some remaining bubbles sitting on top of her head. Lightning quickly set the plate she was drying down and soaked the towel in dish water before giving Noctis a smirk.

"W-Whoa, hang on Light!" Noctis began to slowly back away as Lightning approached him. With a swift swing of her arm she sent the soapy towel towards Noctis's face, smacking him on the cheek.

"We're even." She said with a triumphant smile before straining the towel over the sink.

Noctis chuckled and wiped his face with a dry towel. "Alrighty, I'll be using the restroom." He felt the need to tell her to avoid another awkward encounter like the one they had earlier.

Lightning nodded and continued to dry the remaining dishes. "Don't take too long there; I'll be using it right after I finish here."

"Sure thing." Noctis said over his shoulder as he headed towards the restroom.

Lightning finished drying the few remaining dishes in a matter of minutes. As soon as she finished drying her hands, she walked over to the coffee table and gazed at the vase of flowers Noctis had purchased for her. She gently stroked the petals of each flower and admired their beauty. Her fingers glided from one flower to the next, but her hand stopped when she found one flower which hadn't bloomed; the enclosed petals were the color of the sky. She stared at it with curiosity and wondered why it was the only flower with its petals enclosed. "I'll have to ask him." She murmured to herself softly and walked towards the restroom.

Lightning knocked on the door several times before hearing Noctis shout a, "Come in!" After hearing confirmation she opened the ornate door of the restroom to find Noctis brushing his teeth. Another toothbrush with toothpaste applied to it was sitting on the sink. "I suppose the hotel provides them." He said as he handed her the other toothbrush.

Lightning took it with a small nod of her head and stood beside the prince as they brushed their teeth in front of the mirror. They brushed their teeth in comforting silence as their eyes never strayed from the mirror; after several minutes of quiet brushing Lightning decided to ask Noctis her question.

"Hey Noct?" Her voice was slightly muffled by her brush.

"Hmm?"

"Why is it that one flower won't bloom? The one with sky blue petals." She looked at him and waited for an answer, she didn't expect her question to cause Noctis to blush.

"I'll tell you, or rather show you sometime." He answered before continuing to brush his teeth.

Lightning found the answer unsatisfactory but decided to place some trust in Noctis. "My birthday." She murmured and stared at the sink.

"Hmm?"

"Explain it to me on my birthday. It's coming up in several months. I don't like being left in the dark so at least I know a date when you'll explain it to me." She took a deep breath and looked up at him. "Promise me on my birthday."

Noctis finished brushing his teeth and wiped his mouth before holding up his pinky to Lightning.

She looked slightly embarrassed and shook her head. "That's childish."

Noctis rolled his eyes and took it upon himself to link their pinkies together. "I promise." He said with a gentle smile.

Lightning blushed and quickly withdrew her arm to finish brushing her teeth.

"Well one thing is for sure now..." Lightning wiped her mouth with a towel and faced Noctis who was waiting for her to finish her sentence. "I don't think I have bad breath." She gave him a playful annoyed look which was returned with a shy smile.

Noctis scratched his cheek nervously and blushed. "You never had bad breath to begin with."

Noctis's answer caught Lightning off guard and she became flustered as she tried to think of a comeback. However, all that left her lips was, "I'm going to bed!" And she walked out of the restroom. Noctis laughed and followed but stopped when he saw Lightning standing completely still she was staring at the bed. "Something wrong with the bed Li-" Noctis stopped as realization hit him. Both their faces became scarlet red.

"One bed."

**Paradigm Shift **

"So you guys think they realized that there's only one bed in that room?" Prompto asked Gladiolus and Snow who were lounging on the couch of their room.

Gladiolus laughed as he pictured his friend's reactions. "Probably; we can assume they're flustered right about now."

Snow yawned and closed his eyes. "It's hard to think that anyone could ever get Lightning flustered."

"That goes for Noct as well." Prompto added.

Ignis shook his head and continued to read the guidebook of Nautilus. "You three are deviants."

**Paradigm Shift**

Upon realization that there was only one bed available, Lightning and Noctis quickly entered a back and forth argument. "It's alright; you can sleep in it Light."

"No, it's fine; you take the bed Noct." Lightning answered back.

The two kept insisting the other to take the bed for several minutes and found that the argument wasn't going anywhere.

Noctis took one of the blankets which rested on the surface of the bed and walked over to the couch. "You can take the bed Light, I find it easier to sleep on the couch anyways."

Lightning shook her head in protest and took the remaining blanket in her arms and ran to the couch. "It's fine, I can sleep on the couch."

Noctis began to rearrange the throw pillows so there was room for him to lie down. "I usually slept on the couch when Gladiolus, Prompto, Ignis and I tired ourselves out when we were kids."

No matter how she looked at it, even with Noctis consenting, she refused to sleep on the bed if it meant he was going to sleep on the couch. She quickly took as many throw pillows as she could carry in her arms from the couch, all the way to the bed. Noctis raised his eyebrow and observed as Lightning constructed a small wall of throw pillows to divide the bed in half.

She pointed at one half of the bed without looking at the prince. "This will be my half. Don't cross the line and we'll be fine. Go ahead and sleep on that side of the bed." She said, pointing at the other half of the bed.

Noctis blushed and was at a loss for words. "I-I- mmph!" He was interrupted when Lightning threw a pillow at his face.

Lightning quickly crawled under the covers and threw the blanket over her body. "I-It's late, let's just go to bed and fix this arrangement in the morning."

Noctis continued to blush and stared at the carpeted floor. "R-Right." He murmured under his breath. He slowly got into the bed, the addition of his weight caused some of the throw pillows to fall, but the wall was still intact. Lightning blushed under the covers when she heard Noctis get into the bed. The two were facing with their backs towards one another, having them stare at opposite ends of the room; the only thing separating them – a wall of throw pillows.

Noctis stared at the couch and the image of Lightning resting on his shoulder appeared in his mind. Lightning stared out at the terrace and the image of Noctis coming to speak to her out on the train appeared in her mind.

Lightning suddenly called out to Noctis after several minutes of silence. "Hey Noct? Are you still awake?"

"Y-Yeah." He responded without moving, afraid that the slightest motion would cause the throw pillow wall to fall apart.

Lightning sighed and shuffled under the covers to get into a more comfortable position only to return to the same position as she started. "I just…" She paused and stared out the window recalling the gentle wind which blew against their faces on the train. The thought helped her calm her nerves. "Thanks again for today." She finally said.

Behind the wall of throw pillows, Noctis began to smile. "No problem. I'd like to cook with you again sometime Light."

"I'd like that." Lightning answered. Her eyes began to grow heavy as she stared at the beautiful night sky and after a few minutes she was fast asleep.

"Hey Light?" Noctis called out to Lightning, but received no answer. He slowly rose up from the bed and took peeked over the throw pillows and found Lightning sound asleep.

He let out a small laugh and admired her beauty as the moonlight shone on her face. "Sweet dreams Light."

**Paradigm Shift **

"If there's one thing Farron puts above all else aside from her sister, it's a direct command from a superior regarding work." Jihl Nabaat said slyly into a communicator. The woman walked the streets of Nautilus with a patrol guard monitoring the various activities going on in the park. "You want to distract the prince in the coliseum, you'll use Farron."

**End Chapter**

Xethear: Why is Nabaat here to spoil everything?! Prompto, Gladiolus gather everyone up and chase her out of Nautilus!

Prompto: Let's go Gladiolus! We can't have her ruin the good mood between those two!


End file.
